Thirteen winning teams to represent Malaysia in Jakarta and Vienna
While a lack of access had previously prevented them from taking part in robotics, 13 teams of students will now represent Malaysia in competitions abroad after emerging as national winners.
These students were among 38 teams that competed in the national finals of the MyKasih Robotech 2026 national programme, held in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 5, following a series of workshops and zone-level competitions that began in May.
Designed to inspire indigenous youth to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the initiative provided robotics kits to participating schools nationwide, benefiting 208 teams from 168 Orang Asli and pribumi schools, as well as seven high-needs non-indigenous schools supported by MyKasih.
In total, more than 400 students and 180 teachers took part in the programme.
The winning teams, which competed in the national finals across three categories – primary school, secondary school and MyKasih-Invited Schools – will represent Malaysia at the 12th Kontes Robot Nusantara (KRON) in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the 28th International Robot Olympiad (IRO) in Vienna, Austria.
The teams placing first to sixth, which will compete in Vienna in January next year, are from SMK Sultan Ahmad (Pahang), SMK Panggung Jaya (Kelantan), SK Kampung Busut Asli (Selangor), SK Pengkalan Tereh (Johor), SK Ladang Pendas (Johor) and SMK Tanjung Datuk (Johor).
The teams placing seventh to 13th, which will compete in Jakarta this October, are from SMK Semenchu (Johor), SMK Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra (Johor), SMK Putrajaya Presint 11(1) (Putrajaya), SK Bandar Seri Alam (Johor), SM St Peter Telipok (Sabah), SK Pos Raya (Perak) and SK Seri Hartamas (Kuala Lumpur).
Co-organised with Makers@International Islamic University Malaysia (Makers@IIUM), Robotech 2026 is part of MyKasih Foundation’s flagship “Love My School” programme.
The programme is supported by Dialog Group Berhad, which contributed RM500,000 to provide more than 200 robotics kits, giving students opportunities to participate in national and international robotics competitions.
MyKasih Foundation chairman and co-founder Tan Sri Dr Ngau Boon Keat said the foundation began supporting students for global competitions last year.
“We sponsored Orang Asli student teams to the IRO in Busan in January, KRON in Jakarta in October and the IRO in Gold Coast, Australia, in December.
“The students’ achievements in bringing home gold medals and technical awards motivated us to sponsor this year’s Robotech outreach programme and the winning teams selected to compete globally.
“It goes to show that even indigenous children coming from rural communities and underprivileged backgrounds can succeed when given the resources and opportunities,” he said in a press release.
Makers@IIUM director Assoc Prof Dr Yasir Mohd Mustafah said higher education institutions have a responsibility to extend opportunities and knowledge to underserved communities.
“Through initiatives like this, we seek to make specialised robotics and STEM education more accessible to Malaysia’s indigenous youth,” he said.
Education Ministry Special Model & Indigenous Education Management Unit principal assistant director Siti Asmah Md Yusof noted the importance of cross-sector collaboration in expanding educational opportunities for Orang Asli and pribumi students.
“Education is a shared responsibility. The ministry’s efforts are strengthened when private sector partners step forward with the same commitment and purpose,” she said.
Among the ministry representatives at the award presentation ceremony during the national finals were Education Minister Datuk Seri Fadhlina Sidek and Education Ministry director-general Datuk Dr Mohd Azam Ahmad.
