Children with an interest in coding and technology have a valuable asset locally to help them achieve their full potential.
Skill Samurai is a coding and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) academy located at the Botany Town Centre.
It’s run by learning centre director and franchisees Anand Patil and Navdeep Singh with coaches Jaedon Burgess, Ann Del Rosario, Julia Venice Escoto, and Tobias Thompson.
It provides classes in coding, programming, 3D printing, robotics, and artificial intelligence from an academic and critical-thinking point of view, Patil says.
“We also have collaboration like STEM activities where the kids work together to learn the soft skills that are required in the corporate environment, so it’s about building that confidence.
“They can learn on their own at their own pace. If they’re doing well we have different projects which will be challenging for them, and if they’re struggling we have tutors and coaches specifically attending to them.”
Skill Samurai offers the advantage of small classes, with a ratio of about one tutor or coach per 10 students.
It caters for students aged from six years old to 16 and if they already have coding experience they can take on various challenging projects.
Patil says the coaches ensure the students feel safe and are recognised for what they’re learning and achieving.
The academy offers the MathCode Mastery Method, which is based on the Singaporean curriculum and has been the world’s top-ranked maths method for the past 25 years.
The people behind Skill Samurai believe its services should be available for everyone, “no matter what”.
“If a child is really interested, we will try to make it available for them and we’ll come up with a scholarship with the school or organisation they’re associated with,” Patil says.
“We’ve collaborated with Botany Library and conducted two free sessions with them to cater for students to get to know what coding is.
“Some of them are really interested and they join our holiday camps here, and we have afterschool coding so they can continue with it.
“Everything they need is available in the classroom.”
