Students from 500 schools take part in Hackathon

Nearly 200 students and 50 groups from 500 public schools in the UAE were told by industry experts that the key to succeeding in the coding field is to be in constant-learning mode.

The experts were addressing the students who were participating in the Hackathon, which is part of the annual UAE Codes event, held under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

UAE Codes is a national event held on October 19 every year and celebrates coding, coders, and how they utilize technology. More than 50 government and private entities took part this year

In his opening remarks, Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications told the attendees that the future belongs to those who continuously learn.

He told attendees that the UAE has taken long strides when it comes to programming. “In 1972 when the programming language C, was invented a young one-year-old nation had leaders who believed that the future is in the hands of their people and that all new skills must be made available for the youth of this nation. In 50 years, we moved from being a new country to one that is developed and indeed a role model for all nations around the world,” he said.

It was indeed the codes written by the UAE coders, he said, that made the Hope probe possible.