Team Akura, comprised of four students from the Faculty of Computing at SLIIT, has claimed victory in the 2026 AI Tool Building Challenge hosted on the OneEarth platform. This online competition was organized by the School of Computing at Goldsmiths, University of London. The team’s final-year project aligned perfectly with the competition’s objective of utilizing AI to tackle real-life issues, and they received guidance from their mentor, Dr. Dinuka Wijendra, throughout the application process.
The team members—Mihiran Nanayakkara, Dinithi Piyathilaka, Dhuwindhu Rathnayake, and Rahul Nanayakkara—developed a mobile, multi-modal learning application designed for children aged 3 to 6 to facilitate the learning of Sinhala. While opinions vary on the appropriateness of screen time for young children, Team Akura aimed to make such exposure beneficial and educational.
According to the team’s research, many existing digital learning tools primarily focus on rote memorization, neglecting the deeper understanding of knowledge retention. To address this gap, they created an adaptive learning tool that integrates handwriting assistance, pronunciation evaluation, gesture-based numeracy, and emotion-sensitive educational support, providing tailored, real-time guidance for young learners.
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Competing under the theme of AI for Inclusive & Quality Education, the team participated in two rounds of presentations, defending their project before panels of distinguished international experts. Although initially daunting, the experience became increasingly rewarding after the first round, as the team’s ideas resonated with industry professionals from various fields, including cloud computing, cybersecurity, Generative AI, and data protection.
When Team Akura was announced as the winners earlier this year, most of the members were focused on preparing for their final examinations at SLIIT. This achievement not only motivated them to complete their degrees with renewed vigor but also opened the door to further mentorship opportunities with judges from prominent technology and education organizations.
