How To Win A $1M Prize And Fixing The Global Education Crisis | Adam Huh Dam of Stick ‘Em - EP682
"The objective of the education system is not to prepare you for a specific job, but to help you learn how to think and how to learn. That is the most important part about our education system—learning how to think and learning how to learn, even as we specialize in vocational institutions or universities." - Adam Huh Dam, co-founder of Stick 'Em
"Increase in screen time and the use of gadgets in schools has not improved, but actually made educational outcomes worse for students. For the first time in global history, we see students' academic outcomes decreasing rather than increasing as these devices are implemented at mass." - Adam Huh Dam, co-founder of Stick 'Em
"In Singapore, robotics kits were very expensive—costing about $600 to $700 each—and there were not enough teachers to teach coding in schools. We are bridging that gap with Stick 'Em to bring quality STEAM education to every child, especially the billion children globally growing up without access to these essential skills." - Adam Huh Dam, co-founder of Stick 'Em
In this episode, Adam Huh Dam, co-founder of Stick 'Em, joins Jeremy Au to discuss the evolution of STEAM education and his journey from a robotics-obsessed student in Singapore to winning a million-dollar global prize. Adam shares the "traumatic" childhood experience of being rejected from a school robotics club due to high costs and limited seats, which fueled his mission to make robotics accessible using simple sticks and connectors. They dive into the "disastrous" impact of AI on current educational outcomes, why cheating via AI is a barrier-to-entry issue, and how the founding team leveraged authenticity to win the Hult Prize in London. Adam also reflects on the future of work, emphasizing that while AI may automate coding and accounting, the core value of human education remains the ability to think independently and empathize.
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaeEyRF3doA&list=PLl9u6ECOP8_7scb97PE3whKu4yJVizIOd
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0vDNDokZJYr94gjQWpoolw
