Kaskelen hosted one of the largest regional robotics events in the country, the Daryn FIRST Championship Festival, organized by the Daryn Scientific Research Center of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the USTEM Foundation Public Foundation and SDU University. The event was attended by more than 1,200 schoolchildren from specialized educational organizations in Kazakhstan.
Over the course of two days, participants aged 4 to 18 demonstrated their knowledge and skills in engineering, programming, and robotics in four categories of the FIRST international program: FIRST LEGO League Discover, FIRST LEGO League Explore, FIRST LEGO League Challenge, and FIRST Tech Challenge.
Following the results of the festival, 32 teams won quotas for participation in the Central Asia FIRST Championship 2025, which will be held in Almaty in February.
At the closing ceremony, Sairan Baktiyar, head of the department of the Russian Scientific and Scientific Center "Daryn", stressed that this year the theme of the season is dedicated to exploring the underwater world and solving environmental problems called "DIVE".
"It is a great pleasure for us to see how children solve complex engineering problems with such passion. This festival is not just a competition, but a great opportunity for schoolchildren to showcase their talents and be inspired by new ideas for future projects," said Sayran Baktiyar.
The festival was held at a high scientific and technical level and managed to arouse the increased interest of children. Special attention was drawn to the senior category of the FIRST Tech Challenge, where teams created robots capable of performing complex tasks and participating in dynamic matches. The young engineers demonstrated a high level of training and deep knowledge in the field of mechanics, programming and electronics.
"We see how robotics is becoming more and more popular among children and teenagers. This opens up great prospects for the development of science and technology in Kazakhstan. Championships such as the Daryn FIRST Championship help young people better understand how to put their knowledge into practice and create innovations that change the world," said Asylbek Murzakhmetov, director of the USTEM Foundation.
It should be noted that in January 2025, similar large-scale championships will be held in Shymkent, Aktau and Astana. The organizers are confident that such events will give a powerful impetus to the development of STEM skills among young people and help form a new generation of engineers and scientists in Kazakhstan.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/edu/press/news/details/916120