19th October 2022, Kathmandu
Huawei concluded this year’s Seeds for the Future – its global flagship CSR program for undergraduate level students from all ICT-related disciplines at a closing ceremony held in Kathmandu today. The program was first launched in 2008 in Thailand. Since then over 12,000 students from over 130 countries and regions have participated in the program.
This year, the company said it received 256 applications from all over Nepal. 7 students were then selected on the basis of their GPA, motivation letter and a selection interview conducted by Prof. Dr. Shashidhar Ram Joshi, Prof. Timila Yami Thapa, Prof. Dr. Subarna Shakya, and Prof. Dr. Manish Pokharel. The 7 students selected from Nepal were:
- Nirman Khadka – Kathmandu University – B. Tech in AI, 1st year
- Banshaj Paudel – Madan Bhandari Memorial College – BCA, 1st year
- Jatin Bhusal – Khwopa Engineering College – Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering, 4th year
- Reeya Baidya – IoE Pulchowk – Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering, 3rd year
- Nadika Poudel – IoE Pulchowk – Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering, 3rd year
- Pragya Mallick – Kathmandu University – Bachelor’s in Electrical and Electronics Engineering – Communication, 4th year
- Aju Tamang – Amrit Science Campus – Bachelor’s in CSIT, 2nd year
Since their selection in July, the students received insights into the ICT industry in Nepal via various engagements. The students have received classes on the data center business in Nepal, learned how FTTH internet works during their visit to the offices of DishHome, and taken part in Chinese calligraphy and Chinese paper cutting workshop at the China Culture Center in Kathmandu. The students are also being engaged by UNESCO as part of the organization’s “The Next 50” campaign.
The students participated in the first-ever regional onsite program held in Bangkok from Aug 19 – Aug 27 where they learned about the Metaverse, 5G, AI, Cloud Computing, Digital Power and other emerging technologies while also seeing practical applications of 5G and engaging in cross-cultural learning with 116 students from 16 countries. They participated in the “Tech4Good” competition where they were required to come up with an original idea to combat real-world environmental or social problems. They demonstrated their idea – Advait, one-step solution for detecting counterfeit medicine using cloud, AI and blockchain technology.
Team Nepal was one of the 7 winning teams out of 24 to join the Tech4Good accelerator camp held in Singapore from Aug 29 – Sep 2. In Singapore, the students visited the Huawei office in Singapore. They also learned about business model development and design thinking while working with a mentor assigned to them. They were able to reform their idea and learned how to it more marketable to investors. After their return, the students also visited a Huawei-built base station at Muktinath in late September.
Speaking at the event, the chief guest of the program, Mr. Anil Kumar Dutta, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology expressed joy at being part of the closing ceremony and being able to meet the talented students. He said that investing in the youth is investing in the future and hoped that the students would choose to further their careers in Nepal.
The selection committee members expressed pride at the students’ achievement in Thailand. Prof. Dr. Shashidhar Ram Joshi congratulated the students for being selected in the Seeds for the Future program. He hoped that the knowledge sharing sessions in Thailand and Singapore have helped them polish their ideas and they can go on to become the future entrepreneurs.
Prof. Timila Yami Thapa called Seeds for the Future, a great opportunity for students to refine their talents and skills.
Prof. Dr. Subarna Shakya thanked Huawei for focusing on CSR programs such as Seeds for the Future and supporting Nepal. “I hope Huawei will also work with universities for research-based collaboration in the future”, he said.
CEO of the Government of Nepal’s E-government Commission, Er. Dipesh Bista said that the students are lucky to get a platform like Huawei’s Seeds for the Future at such an early age. “I wish such program was started 15 years ago where I could be a participant. I’d like to thank Huawei for trying to make this country better”, he said.
Mr. William Zhang, CEO of Huawei Nepal, said that Huawei wants to continue to be able to able give talented students a platform for international exposure and learning.
