‘Young Computer Scientist of the Year’ competition recognise winners

Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam presenting an award to a winner of the ‘Young Computer Scientist of the Year’ competition while SLASI President Abbas Kamrudeen (left) looks on

The awards ceremony of the ‘Young Computer Scientist of the Year’ (YCS) competition organised for the 15th successive year by Sri Lanka Association for the Software Industry (SLASI) – the Software Chapter of The Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka (FITIS), was held under the patronage of Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam in the Education Ministry auditorium recently. The Sri Lanka Association for the Software Industry is the national organisation representing the software industry in Sri Lanka.

The core objectives of the ‘Young Computer Scientist of the Year’ competition is to afford an opportunity to identify, develop and harness the talents of students of Information and Communication Technology, recognise, honour and reward their innovations at an international level and generate interest and encourage school children – the future of Sri Lanka – to pursue Information and Communication Technology as a subject at an early age. The annual ‘Young Computer Scientist of the Year’ contest is organised by the Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka (FITIS) in collaboration with Ministry of Education and the Computer Society of Sri Lanka.

Expressing his views on this prestigious event, Sri Lanka Association for the Software Industry (SLASI) President Abbas Kamrudeen said: “On evaluating the current status of Sri Lanka’s Software Industry, the most critical hurdle the country is bound to face in the future will be a severe dearth of software development engineers. We will have to give up large scale lucrative foreign projects if the development of the software industry does not go hand-in-hand with the development of human resources. If they don’t continue on the same equation, Sri Lanka will have to forego many foreign projects which are immensely profitable. As a result, the country will be deprived of valuable foreign exchange. To tide over such a foreseeable predicament, our Association has embarked on a series of guidance programs targeting talented young boys and girls clever at software development. 

“The objective of this initiative is to offer a platform to these youths to prove their mettle and venture into the software profession under our guidance. The ‘Young Computer Scientist of the Year’ competition is one such initiative in our endeavour to produce more software development engineers which is a fundamental component to meet the future challenges in the industry. This competition is a window of opportunity and an effective vehicle to give exposure at national and international levels to the innovations of young boys and girls with an aptitude for information and computer technology. Emerging winners in this contest gives immense encouragement to participants and serves as an incentive for them to pursue higher education in Information and Communication Technology, and subsequently venture into the profession as software engineers. 

“Others also take this as an example and follow suit. This results in the progressive development of the human resources segment of the information and computer technology sphere. At present, Sri Lanka earns $ 850 million per annum through the export of computer software. We are optimistic of pushing up these export earnings up to $ 5 billion within the next few years. To achieve this objective, it is of paramount importance to groom clever young boys and girls in this sector to meet the challenges ahead. I believe that the ‘Young Computer Scientist of the Year’ contest gives a big impetus to achieve this goal.”

The ‘Young Computer Scientist of the Year’ is modelled on the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards. It is an integral part of this Alliance. Therefore, young computer scientists who win in the competition in Sri Lanka will be given an opportunity to represent our country at the APICTA International Competition.

In 2015, the APICTA International Competition was held in Sri Lanka on a grand scale. The computer scientists who represented Sri Lanka won two Gold awards and five Merit awards at the APICTA International Competition. The 2016 APICTA International Competition was held in Taiwan, where the young computer scientists who represented Sri Lanka bagged one Gold award and six Merit awards.

Winning these accolades at an international level speak volumes of the inborn talents and capabilities of our young Sri Lankan computer scientists. It is the ‘Young Computer Scientist of the Year’ competition which was the guiding light for these young Sri Lankans to ascend the ladder of success.