Graduate of the month: Zolbayar Magsar
Under this month’s theme, “Next Generation Impact”, we spotlight Zolbayar Magsar, a 2014-2016 Fulbright foreign student and the founder of Codercub, the first coding academy for children in Mongolia. When we discuss the impact of the next generation, the latest digital innovations and their impact on the next generation must be part of the conversation.
Zolbayar earned a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Missouri-Columbia on a Fulbright scholarship. Upon his return to Mongolia, he started Codercub with a mission to introduce computer science to young Mongolians and help them develop computational thinking skills. “As computer literacy becomes an integral part of today’s academic and professional environments, computer science is becoming even more fundamental and rapidly becoming embedded in educational systems around the world,” Zolbayar said.
As a partner of Code.org (a US-based non-profit organization dedicated to expanding computer access in schools) in Mongolia, Codercub has officially implemented its program at the primary school level. Codercub has also joined the annual Hour of Code campaign, a movement that takes place in over 180 countries around the world.
With technology advancing and reshaping nearly every aspect of our lives, it’s crucial to educate the next generation about computers and develop their essential skills. “Students who lack digital literacy and computer literacy will be inherently disadvantaged once they enter the workforce,” Zolbayar said. “Although Mongolia inevitably [leapfrogged] some of the industrial revolutions, given the size of our population, we can leap forward and follow the next revolution by updating our educational system.