Oé-Cusse, Timor-Leste (May 24, 2021): 120 students from 27 primary, secondary, and vocational schools benefitted from the recently held ICT Bootcamp and Exhibition at the Dominican Café Playground in Pante-Macassar. The May 5-7^th 2021 event was organised by the UNDP as part of its Leveraging ICT to Improve Education and Skills in Timor-Leste Project, in partnership with The Oé-Cusse Regional Administration (RAEOA-ZEESM TL), UNICEF, and the India-UN Development Partnership Fund. The Bootcamp’s overall aim was to educate students on becoming potential social entrepreneurs, by using ICT to develop real-life solutions for existing problems, and to transform their ideas into innovative business concepts.

Participants are maintaining the que for registration process; everybody wear facemasks and used hand sanitizer before entering the venue.

The Bootcamp and Exhibition was officially opened by the President of Authority of RAEOA, H.E. Mr.  Arsenio Paixão Bano on May 5^th, 2021, and major activities included training, workshops, competitions, and the exhibition. International trainers from India (Robolab Technology Pvt. Ltd.) provided online training on robotic and IoT (Internet of Things) technology using Arduino equipment, while the national trainers simultaneously provided hands-on training on robotics and website design.

The regional secretary of education distributed the prizes and award to winner and runner up groups (30 students) for five categories and closed the bootcamp and exhibition 2021.

After completing the two-day long training, workshop, and competitions, students used the final day to showcase their model projects at the exhibition. This exhibition was attended virtually by several high-level officials, who also delivered speeches of appreciation to the students, the project team, and India-UN Partnership Development Fund which provided the funding. These included H.E. Mr. Armindo Maia, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports; Mr. Venkat Narayanan, Counsellor & Commercial Representative of the Embassy of India to Timor-Leste; Ms. Munkhtuya Altangerel, UNDP Resident Representative; Mr. Bilal Aurang Zeb Durrani, UNICEF Country Representative; and Mr. Roy Trivedy, UN Resident Coordinator.

H.E. Mr. Armindo Maia, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports of Timor-Leste  visited online and delivered speech

30 students were designated as the winners and runners-up in five (5) competition categories, namely, basic and advanced ICT skills, website design, robotics, and innovation using IoT. They received their prizes from the Regional Secretary of Education and Social Solidarity, H.E. Mrs. Abelina da Costa, who also closed the Bootcamp and Exhibition. In total more than 200 students, teachers, parents, and government officials visited the exhibition and participated in the closing ceremony.

For more information on the ICT Bootcamp and Exhibition visit http://www.ict-innovationbootcamp.com/