By Emeka Aginam, Asst. Online Editor, in Warsaw, Poland
WHILE the football World  Cup tournament holds in South Africa, another kind of World Cup is holding, but this time in Europe.

If the football World Cup is a sporting event, with a lot of glamour and glitz, the other world cup in question is no less glamourous, though it is not a contact sports like football. It is not even a sport; this is an academic competition where about 400 of the world’s best technology students are competing for honours in the Imagine Cup, the trophy at stake in software engineering and design, sponsored and promoted by software giant, Microsoft Corporation.

At the Imagine Cup, holding in Warsaw, capital of Poland, it is brains on parade as three Nigerian students who presented their indigenous education software at the event have demonstrated that they can face the challenge of the 21st century knowledge economy with software incubation. The three students representing Nigeria are Adeboye Oshinaga, Abiola Olaniran , and Akinbiyi Omole, all of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. However, the Nigeria experience in South Africa replicated itself here as the students lost out in the first round of a keenly contested software design competition, though there was hope after their presentation that these young talents from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ileife have the capacity to survive the challenge of knowledge economy with software incubation.

Running in its eighth series, Imagine Cup is an initiative of  Microsoft  that encourages young talents globally to apply their imagination, passion, and their creative technology innovations that can make a difference in solving the Millennium Development Goals, (MDGS) including poverty, disease, education, among others.

Although the three technology whizz-kids from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ileife, (OAU) who took made-in-Nigeria education software product to the global stage will not go to semi-finals that will produce the winners, it was obvious during their presentation to the panel of judges that Nigerian students are among the best talents in the whole world  in terms of software development despite lack of IT infrastructure available in their different institutions.

After all day head-to-head competition by some of the brightest students from around the world last Sunday in the beautiful city of Warsaw, Poland, ,  Rob Miles, a lecturer from the department of Computer Science, University of Hull, United Kingdom who is among the judges   announced the teams going on to the second round in the Software Design and Embedded Development competitions.

For Software Design, according to him, the judges picked 12 best teams from 68 teams that contested   even as 10 best  team were picked from 15 teams in Embedded Development.

According to him, “The calibre of entries across the board was incredibly high so, while not everyone will continue in the competition, everyone deserves a huge congratulations for making it this far,” he told the audience that gathered Sunday night during announcement of the results.

With Morocco as the only African team that qualified for the semi-finals, there is general atmosphere of anxiety and expectations on the part of teams for the semi- finalist waiting for the next stage that regarding which country takes the prestigious cup tomorrow  when the result of the winners will be announced.

Already, Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, Korea, Taiwan, United States, United Kingdom, among other countries have qualified for the semi-final stage. About 400 software incubators from 69 countries and regions around the world who can use technology to solve the world’s toughest challenges were   in  head-to-head competition  on Sunday during the first round of competition at the on-going world’s premier student technology competition, the Imagine Cup 2010  initiated by the global software giant, Microsoft.

More than 325,000 high school, college, and university students in 113 countries and regions had entered the competition. Watching their presentations Sunday night, in Palace of Culture, Warsaw, Poland, it may not be overstatement to say these  technology whizz-kids have  put in their best to make Nigeria proud in the global competition.

“I feel good. We are all winners. Everybody feels great but some people have to go to the next stage of the competition. However, we will package our products and use it to help teachers around the world” Akinbiyi Omole, one of the team member  told Vanguard  CyberLIFE in an interaction shortly after the announcement, adding that there is opportunity for another trial given the fact that Nigeria is making a mark in software development for global competitiveness.

According to him, the Ministry of Education in  Nigeria can also make use of these applications to help Nigerian teachers. “We will like work with the education ministry to achieve better results in the nation’s educational system decaying by the day.

For Olaniran Abiola, who is also one of the team members that represented Nigeria in the global contest, competition of this kind ought to be organized by local agencies in the country so as to prepare the student for global competitiveness. According to him, such local competitions will go a long way in sharpening Nigeria students’ minds toward creating real products and not just the usual theoretical knowledge.

“Also, the Nigeria schools need to change their orientation about who are the best students in school. The students with the practical knowledge should get more prestige from the school so as to encourage them and increase the number of students running after the practical knowledge and this will make the country move forward in technology”

It would be recalled that, Brian Media is the name of the education software that the Nigerian team presented  in the on-going 2010 Microsoft  Imagine Cup software competition.

The software application provides access to quality education for all. The product is an extensible platform that allows the development of computer educational applications.

The system includes a desktop application, a web application and a central XML Application Programming Interface (API). The System allows teachers and students around the world to collaborate and learn from each other. The system also creates a symbiosis relationship with teachers around the world. Through this, a teacher gets as much as he or she gives to the world through this system. This System also includes a carefully designed web application which can be accessed with the common mobile phones.

The Web application has some great features like an Artificial intelligence (for guiding and counselling students), a search engine through which students can search for class materials (about the topics they specify) in other schools around the world and also students get series of quizzes in which they are graded upon, so weekly, or daily, the profile of the best students are shown on the web page.

“Each one of you represents the best of the best in the world. We at Microsoft look at you and see the future innovators of technology.” Jon Perera, General Manager, Education Group, Microsoft Corporation had  told the gathering  during the opening ceremony, adding that  everybody who participated is a winner.

“Together, you are the best the world has to offer. Technology represents the world. At Microsoft, we know that the single greatest resource we have on our planet is is people. And when people come together around a common cause, dream big, and take risks, anything is possible. Your innovation will help people around the world realize their potentials” he said.

Similarly,  the General Manager, Microsoft, Poland Jacek Murawski with optimism had said during the opening ceremony last week  that the students will be leading the way in the future technology innovation.

“You are the most talented and the skilled students. It is event of great energy and passion, which inspire all of  us o search for new solutions.  Imagine Cup finals is  an experience of a lifetime. I hope this competition week in Poland will be a memorable one for you, bringing positive satisfaction and success, excitement and new friendship” he added.

Meanwhile, experts have reasoned that everything that the world may become “someday” lies in the hands of young people today. As they look at the road ahead, their close relationship with technology enables them to dream in ways we never have before. Put the two together, and you have young minds holding the tools that can make their vision a reality.

This is the recipe that inspired Microsoft to create the Imagine Cup. What begins with a burst of inspiration and a lot of hard work can become a future software breakthrough, a future career, or a flourishing new industry.

The Imagine Cup encourages young people to apply their imagination, their passion and their creativity to technology innovations that can make a difference in the world – today. Now in its eighth year, the Imagine Cup has grown to be a truly global competition focused on finding solutions to real world issues.

Open to students around the world, the Imagine Cup is a serious challenge that draws serious talent, and the competition is intense. The contest spans a year, beginning with local, regional and online contests whose winners go on to attend the Worldwide Finals held in a different location every year.  The intensity of the work brings students together, and motivates the competitors to give it their all. The bonds formed here often last well beyond the competition itself.