Seventeen-year-old Neth Dharmasiri, who began coding at age 11, developed a foundational programming language and subsequently created 'Thadus,' a digital learning tool designed to teach coding to beginners.
Inspired by a trip to rural Sri Lanka, where he observed limited technological resources, Neth collaborated with Chinmay Lal, also 17, to develop Thadus. The app is specifically built to function offline, addressing challenges in areas with unreliable internet connectivity.
Released to the market, Thadus comprises three courses that aim to impart basic coding concepts and demonstrate their relevance to real-world industries, including a crucial data science course.
Thadus CodeLabs, Neth's venture, provides the app free of charge to non-profit organizations and charities. The project has partnered with Sri Lankan philanthropist Kushil Gunasekera, who leads the Foundation of Goodness charity. Mr. Gunasekera plans to integrate the app into the 22 computer labs his foundation operates across rural Sri Lanka, aiming to reach thousands of students who typically lack access to home computers.
Dr. Louise Puslednik, a science education lecturer at the University of Southern Queensland, identified 'Thadus' as a significant effort to bridge the global