BATU PAHAT: Dyslexia did not stop Azizul Haziq Muhamad Haire, 12, from making his mark at a recent international robotics competition, where he won a gold medal and two bronze medals.
His achievement was even more remarkable because he was the only participant with special needs among the 169 teams from five countries taking part in the competition.
Azizul Haziq competed in five of the 12 categories at the 12th Kontes Robot Nusantara International 2026, an Asian robotics competition held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Oct 11.
His teacher, Abdul Hafiz Margono of SK Pendidikan Khas Batu Pahat, said Azizul Haziq also had to take on some challenges alone rather than compete as part of a three-member team.
This was because the school could only afford to send one pupil to the international event, he explained.
“Azizul Haziq won first place in the Brickspeed category, which tests participants’ speed and precision in assembling mechanical brick components.
“He came third in the robot theatre category, where he had to programme robots for a creative performance.
“He also came third in the creative design category, where he had to develop an innovative robotics or automation project,” Abdul Hafiz said.
He added that his pupil also secured fourth and fifth places in the two other categories.
He said Azizul Haziq’s creative design project, called SafeGate, was a smart door system designed to improve safety and accessibility, particularly for people with special needs.
“For the design category, we were tasked with developing an innovation ahead of the competition and presenting it during the main event.
“With the help of some of his schoolmates, we came up with an innovation that uses facial recognition technology to open doors for authorised users,” he said.
The device could also detect dangerous gases and trigger an alarm, while allowing people to exit during emergencies.
Abdul Hafiz, who is the school’s robotics club adviser, thanked Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Maker Space for its support.
“They helped us a lot and were the ones who invited us to take part in robotics competitions,” he said.
He added that the club, whose members all have special needs, had participated in 12 competitions since it was established this year.
Meanwhile, Azizul Haziq said he hoped his experience would inspire others facing similar challenges.
“Despite having to do the presentation alone and needing my teacher to help me communicate with the judges, I was not really nervous or anxious. I just did my best.
“I knew I had prepared well for it and was confident in what I had,” he said.
Azizul Haziq said he was extremely happy with his achievements because he did not expect to win in any of the categories.
“I am happy with the achievements and I hope they will motivate others to remain determined and never allow anything to stop them from pursuing their goals,” said the younger of two siblings.
