Kannur Engineering Students Top Global Hackathon for Covid-time Classroom

KOCHI:
Two students of Government College of Engineering, Kannur won the first prize in a global competition on developing a virtual classroom amid the corona-time lockdown, bagging an impressive 10,000 US dollars (Rs 7.5 lakh approximately).

Abinand C and Shilpa Rajeev, both doing second-year BTech (computer science) from the institution upstate, emerged toppers in the #CODE19 (against COVID-19) Hackathon for their ‘iClassroom’. A learning platform built for the millennial generation, it is backed by social media and enables peer-to-peer communication.

The international #CODE19, which aims to support young entrepreneurs across continents, was organized by charitable organisation Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation and software solutions firm Hackerearth. The event, with ‘Education and awareness for fighting against COVID-19’ as the theme, was held last month as part of an Industry Student Connect Programme at Malabar Innovation and Entrepreneurship Zone, Kannur.

iClassroom facilitates lecture recordings, online assignments and similar projects that can be the only viable option during an exigency like the lockdown. Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation holds events in association with Kerala Startup Mission, which is a nodal agency of the state government for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities.