Hamad Bin Jassim Center For Computer Science Education Organises 9Th Annual Alice Programming Competition

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula

Doha, Qatar: The Hamad Bin Jassim Center for Computer Science Education, which was established by Jassim and Hamad Bin Jassim Charitable Foundation in cooperation with Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, one of the partner universities of the Qatar Foundation, organised 9th annual Alice programming Competition.

The contest inspired hundreds of students from various parts of Qatar to design and implement games and animations through programming.

This year's competition attracted 115 student teams from 50 schools, presenting unique projects on the topics of cyber security, sustainability, crisis management, health and wellness, and entrepreneurship.

The competition included challenges for students studying computing and programming skills through the“Alice Middle East” curriculum, to create animations or games using their new programming skills.

With the support of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Qatar, the“Alice Middle East” programme was included in the ICT curriculum in all government schools, and the programme has become part of the curriculum for the same subject in many private schools.

The importance of computing

Learning the basics of computing has become essential for pre-university students, especially in light of the rapid technological development that is reshaping people's lives and the way they work.

Khaled Haras, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, leads Hamad Bin Jassim Center for K-12 Computer Science Education, a partnership between Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar and the Jassim and Hamad Bin Jassim Charitable Foundation.

The center aims to improve the skills of school students in the field of computing, encourage them to innovate and create, and encourage them to study scientific specializations, through“Alice in the Middle East” and the“Mindcraft” programme, which includes introductory workshops for secondary school students to introduce them to the various aspects of science and the computer.

Knowledge-based economy

In this context, Managing Director of the Jassim and Hamad Bin Jassim Charitable Foundation Saeed Mudhkar Al Hajri said:“The Foundation, through the Hamad Bin Jassim Center for Computer Science Education, shows its firm commitment to encourage students in the country, and urge them to learn computing skills, and master the use of the tools they need in the future supporting the country's transformation towards a knowledge economy.”

“Our long-term partnership with Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar has helped teach the basics of computing to thousands of students in Qatar, and we hope to attract even more students in the coming years.”

For his part, Khaled Haras said:“We are very happy with the large number of students who participated in this year's competition. Computing has become an integral part of the various fields around us, and I believe every student should learn the basics of computing, whatever the profession he chooses in the future.”

Winning schools

During the competition, all participating teams presented their proposed projects and underwent preliminary qualifiers, according to which a number of selected projects qualified based on creativity and complexity. The finalist students then presented their work to a special jury to select the winners in the advanced and beginners' categories.

Khalid Bin Ahmed Preparatory School team for boys won first place in the advanced category, while the Awfaz Global School team won in the beginners category.

The Birla Public School student team won second place and the Mesaieed International School team won third place. The Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib Preparatory School team for boys achieved an advanced position among those qualifying for the advanced category.

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