Former Bangladesh high commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Nahida Rahman Shumona, who completed her term in the Sultanate several months ago and began her post in Athens, Greece, hosted a dinner for the Bruneian team participating in the 2024 FIRST Global Challenge in Athens recently.
Nahida also played host to her acquaintances from Brunei as well as former Malaysian high commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Dato’ Raja Reza bin Raja Zaib Shah and spouse holidaying in Greece.
“I was overjoyed to see the Brunei booth at the Athens stadium. I was meeting the Bangladesh team and I went to the Brunei booth. It felt like I found Brunei in Greece,” said the high commissioner in a WhatsApp conversation.
Meanwhile, Director of the Enterprise Office at Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) Dr Sharina binti Yunus said the Brunei team met the Bangladesh Ambassador to Greece on September 28 at her residence.
The ambassador also invited Team Bangladesh for the dinner, where they discussed potential collaborations in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education and robotics, said Dr Sharina, the supervisor to the Brunei team. “The teams explored the possibility of creating a regional partnership for FIRST Global Robotics starting in 2025, with a focus on fostering innovation, cooperation, and educational initiatives across Southeast Asia.”
She shared that the Brunei team, comprising students from Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science College and Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Arabic School, Rimba, who were selected after excelling in UTB’s 5th Robotic Coding Conquest, also held productive discussions with teams from Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.
While they encountered technical challenges on the second day of the competition, the team demonstrated perseverance and teamwork, embodying the spirit of resilience and innovation throughout the event.
The team aims to grow its robotics programme and is committed to expand and strengthen the programme for 2025.
The team’s participation aligns with Brunei Vision 2035 of cultivating a highly educated and skilled population and the team is continuing to seek support for future competitions and initiatives, including travel, equipment, and team development. – Lyna Mohamad
