By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Oct 12: SMK Long Bedian from Baram has emerged as the champion of the Petrosains Tech4All 2026 National Level Competition, held today at Petrosains, The Discovery Centre, in Kuala Lumpur.
According to a press release, Petrosains Tech4All is a nationwide STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) outreach programme aimed at expanding access to robotics, technology and innovation for Orang Asli and Peribumi students.
The school’s competition-winning project was S.O.R.T.—an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered waste-sorting system designed to make waste separation easier and more efficient for the school cleaner.
By identifying and categorising waste such as cans, plastic, and paper, the project also helps students better understand and practise environmental sustainability.
“We created S.O.R.T. because we wanted to help Aunty Siti, our school cleaner, sort waste more easily and save time. Using AI and Teachable Machine, our system can scan waste such as cans, plastic, and paper, identify its category, and determine which bin to open.
“At the same time, we hope the project can help students learn more about caring for the environment. This was our first time joining Petrosains Tech4All, so winning makes us very happy and proud.
“The experience also gave us the opportunity to learn new things and improve our project further,” said 12-year-old Agustus Antonio Galvin, who dreams of becoming an architect, from SMK Long Bedian.
His teacher, Hanson Teo Kim Guan, said it was meaningful to see his students reach the top 10 and eventually become champions.
“Their project combines Arduino coding with AI, using a camera to recognise different types of waste such as paper, plastic and cans, before automatically opening the appropriate bin.
“More than the achievement itself, I’m proud to see how the students were able to apply what they learned to develop a practical solution to a real problem,” said Teo.
During the prize-giving ceremony, Dr Rusmini Ku Ahmad, deputy director-general of the Ministry of Education (MOE) Policy and Curriculum Sector, said Petrosains Tech4All has empowered nearly 1,900 beneficiaries, with participating schools earning international recognition.
“These accomplishments reflect not only academic excellence, but also the confidence, resilience and potential of the young talents we are nurturing for the future,” said Rusmini.
Rusmini also hoped Petrosains Tech4All will continue to open doors, ignite possibilities, and inspire the next generation of innovators, problem-solvers, and changemakers, ensuring no child is left behind in Malaysia’s journey toward a more inclusive and sustainable future.
Meanwhile, Petrosains chief executive officer (CEO) Ezarisma Azni Mohamad said that Petrosains Tech4All expanded its learning journey by incorporating robotics, design thinking and artificial intelligence.
“Participants were challenged not only to build technological solutions, but also to understand real-world problems, think critically, collaborate effectively and develop innovative ideas that can benefit their communities.
“These are capabilities that will become increasingly important in an AI-driven future. Because the future is not simply about understanding technology. The future belongs to those who can harness technology responsibly, creatively and meaningfully to solve real challenges,” said Ezarisma.
Ezarisma also said the programme proves what can be achieved when industry, educational institutions, and communities come together with a shared purpose.
“The achievements we celebrate today are not Petrosains’ achievements alone. They belong to every teacher who stayed back after school to guide and encourage their students.
“They belong to every parent who supported their children’s curiosity and gave them the confidence to explore something new. They belong to every student who dared to dream beyond their circumstances. And they belong to our partners, whose contributions have enabled us to expand the programme’s reach and deepen its impact,” said Ezarisma.
With SMK Long Bedian in first place, second place went to SK Punan, Johor, followed by SK Telanok, Pahang; SK Runchang, Pahang; and SK Padang, Sabah.
Since its introduction in 2024, the programme has grown into a structured learning ecosystem that empowers both teachers and students through hands-on STEM learning, capacity-building and competition-based experiences.
This year’s competition brought together 20 teachers and 40 students from Johor, Kelantan, Pahang, Selangor, Sabah and Sarawak, representing 10 schools from Orang Asli and Peribumi communities. — DayakDaily
