TV24 Desk: The National IT Competition for Youth with Disabilities was held for the 7th time on May 6, 2023 by the ICT Division of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. The day-long contest was organized by the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) of the ICT Division on Saturday at the BUBT University campus in Mirpur, Dhaka in collaboration with the Center for Services and Information on Disability (CSID) and the Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT).
The Executive Director (Grade-1) of BCC Mr. Ranajit Kumar was present as the chief guest at the closing and award ceremony of the event. The Chairman of the Board of Trustee of BUBT Mr. Md. Shamsul Huda FCA and the Executive Director of the CSID Mr. Khandaker Jahurul Alam were present as special guests. The program was chaired by the Pro-Vice Chancellor of BUBT Professor Dr. Md. Ali Noor. The BCC Director (Training & Development) Engr. Md. Golam Sarwar, gave a welcome address on the program.
Mr. Ranajit Kumar said as the chief guest of the program, the national IT competition is very important for youth with disabilities in our country. It provides a remarkable platform to showcase their skills, and talents in the field of information technology, thereby creating an opportunity for massive expansion of ICT practice. Such arrangements contribute to encouraging youth with disabilities as well as reducing barriers and challenges faced by persons with disabilities in accessing education and employment opportunities in the ICT field. He said that young people with disabilities have no chance to fall behind. We have to move forward with them. Mr. Ranajit Kumar also said that human resource development was one of the 4 important pillars in building Digital Bangladesh, on which BCC has worked tirelessly and will continue to do so in the future.
BUBT University Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Md Ali Noor said that it will be difficult to build a smart Bangladesh by leaving out the specially abled or disabled people of society. He also said that one of the efforts to enable disabled youth to actively contribute to the development of the country is the National IT Competition. This competition is very important as part of the preparation of people with disabilities as suitable human resources for Bangladesh by the year 2041, as promised by the current government.
The Executive Director of the CSID Mr. Khandaker Jahurul Alam motivated the young talented disabled people who participated from all over the country. He said that youth with disabilities will have a role in building the smart Bangladesh of the future. So he urged everyone to work together.
Initially, interested candidates between the ages of 14 to 22 years completed their registration in the contest by post, e-mail, and online by April 26, 2023. A total of 117 contestants from all over the country participated in this competition in 4 categories namely Visually Impaired, Physically Impaired, Speech and Hearing Impaired and Neuro Developmental Disorder (NDD). Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and internet usage skills are tested in the competition.
In the closing ceremony of the National IT Competition 2023, the top three winners from each category, i.e. a total of 12 contestants in 4 categories, were awarded. Besides, one from each category i.e. 4 meritorious names in 4 categories are declared as the winner by the organizing authority. The winners of the 7th National IT Competition 2023 are:
Md. Robiul Biswas from Barishal (1st), Md. Hasibur Rahman from Rajshahi (2nd), and Md. Abuzar Rahman from Rangpur (3rd) in the visually impaired category. In the physically challenged category, Md. Shakil Ahmed from Jhenaidah (1st), Md. Sazzadul Islam Swadhin from Barishal (2nd) and Niamur Rashid Shihab from Patuakhali (3rd). Md. Robiul Awal Shuvo from Lalmonirhat (1st), Sumaiya Akter Mitu from Dhaka (2nd) and Md. Tahinur Islam from Rangpur (3rd) in the speech and hearing impaired category. Finally, Muhtasin Chowdhury from Dhaka (1st), Nayeem Islam from Mymensingh (2nd) and Md. Saifur Rahman Pian from Barguna (3rd) in the NDD category.
Each winning contestant was awarded a Samsung brand smartphone, crest, and certificate, along with gift items from Genweb2 Company. The winners will get the opportunity to participate in the advanced training course conducted by BCC free of charge, and the best four out of the 12 prizewinners will get the opportunity to participate in the international competition held in Dubai next October shared by the Manager (Systems) of BCC and the Coordinator of this event Md. Golam Rabbani. Besides, a travel allowance is provided by the organizing authority to every competitor coming from all over the country.
