When parents fund dreams: How Malaysia's Tamil school students matched Asia's top young robotics talents

Winning over 80 medals from the World Robot Games in Taiwan late last year was no easy accomplishment.

But a group of young people from Malaysia rose to the occasion and catapulted the country into the limelight with this achievement. Of these youngsters, 24 were from Tamil schools.

Many in Malaysia beamed with pride at their success.

Even more remarkable was that these students competed against their counterparts from some of Asia’s most technologically advanced nations. By any measure, this was an excellent performance.

The games, from 25 November to 1 December 2025, comprised over 1,000 participants from 10 countries, including advanced countries like Japan and South Korea.

On display at the games were young minds who exhibited their talents in educational robotics platforms, testing programming, robotics engineering, problem-solving and innovation skills.

One participant remarked: “Standing on the world stage felt like a dream, but winning for Malaysia felt even better.” This sentiment reflected the pride of the 24 students after the finals, as they returned home excited and hopeful that their achievement would be recognised.

Guided by Syscore Academy, a Malaysian-based ICT and robotics education provider, the students spent months preparing – learning discipline, teamwork and advanced technical skills. Yet they received no grants for training, airfare or accommodation.

“There was no government funding. Parents paid out of their own pockets,” said Dass of Syscore Academy.

The Malaysian team deserve to be lauded, as participants were able to triumph in the intensely competitive atmosphere. Some won in the junior sumo and drone football categories, demonstrating Malaysia’s emergence as a nation which can produce young talents in robotics.

These determined young robotics enthusiasts beat schools with far greater resources, finance and sponsorship. They earned global recognition through sheer determination, grit and skill.

Sachein Kalitazan, a 13-year-old, won six medals including gold in the 4×4 Soccer category. His victory marked an eight-year journey of building, coding and debugging robots.

Sachein’s story is even more meaningful as his passion for robotics began when he was only five years old.

For Saatish Kumaran, a sumo robot champion who won four medals, winning “the WRG was an event I had looked forward to all my life. Winning multiple medals was a surprise and the ultimate reward for me, my family and the team.”

Malaysia has lots of hidden talents, and these children are not occasional anomalies. Unfortunately, many talented students go unnoticed and are not discovered.

Often, all that is needed is for the authorities to pay attention, provide encouragement and offer proper funding to spur them to continue excelling.

Now, the onus is on the government and the Ministry of Education to nurture the talents of these dynamic young people to catapult Malaysia on to the world robotics map.

If we fail to harness these young talents, some other country might grab them. Surely, we don’t want that to happen, do we?