Three Orang Asli pupils from Johor clinched gold at the International Robot Olympiad in Australia with their Mars rover design.
SEPANG: Three Orang Asli pupils from Sekolah Kebangsaan Pengkalan Tereh in Kluang, Johor, have won a gold medal at the 27th International Robot Olympiad.
They triumphed in the Creative Idea category for primary schools at the IRO2025 event held in Gold Coast, Australia.
The team’s teacher advisor, Muhammad Fakhri Che Lah, attributed their success to a year of detailed preparation.
“They prepared with continuous training in school, with pupils developing various robot designs according to the space theme before selecting the most suitable design during the competition,” he said upon their arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Team member Vyonnie Jezzy James Marcel, 12, said the assignment required fast and accurate work.
“We were given four hours, but we completed the robot in three and a half hours… we used two sensors, high screen line and ultrasonic,” she said, explaining how their robot beat contestants from 15 other countries.
Petrosains Learning Department and Satellite Centre director Norhana Hamim said the win proved the effectiveness of inclusive STEM programmes.
“It shows the programme’s effectiveness when our children are given the right platform and programmes suitable with their backgrounds,” she said.
She added that the victory dispelled misconceptions about the capabilities of Orang Asli students.
The Malaysian contingent to IRO2025 included 15 Orang Asli primary school pupils and also secured a bronze medal and three technical awards.
