Uganda sends five students for robotics competition in Geneva
A teacher supervises students, who are creating a robot to fight climate change at Mengo SS on October 8, 2022. PHOTO | TONNY ABET
Five students from Uganda travelled on Monday for a robotics competition in Geneva, Switzerland, which will run from October 13 (tomorrow) to October 16.
The coordinators told Daily Monitor that the secondary school students created a robot which has features that collect environmental pollutants or wastes for destruction and recycling.
The students are Mittina Akampa, Joy Ruth Namakula Muganwa, Samrawit Ghebrehiwot, Hermon Asmerom Gebregergish and Doreck Agaba. They are from Mengo SS and Our Lady of Good Counsel Gayaza.
Mr Jossy Nasasira, the robotics expert, who is training the students, said there is a lot of potential in the youngsters, who have invented solutions for societal problems. He said the students they took to Dubai in the 2019 robotics competition, won silver medals.
“We have pushed the programme to schools so that they are well equipped with the hands-on skills at an early age so that they can come up with innovations,” said Mr Nasasira, one of the directors at Apps and Girls, a social enterprise.
He added: “In different schools, they still look at the theoretical concepts. They [students] are supposed to know that but they have to focus on the practical aspects.”
Mr Stephen Semunaaba, the head of the science department at Mengo SS, said they are focusing on practicals to increase the impact and relevance of science education in the country.
“This project trains a student on how to assemble a robot, how to programme (instructions on which it has to move) and then start moving it. All the coding is done by the student. This involves some physics and mathematics,” he said.
One of the students, Agaba, said they started the training in August.
“It started during holidays, I used to come every day and practice. They taught us how to assemble different parts of the robot and how to programme,” she said.
Ms Carolyne Ekyarisiima, a computer scientist and the chief executive officer of Apps and Girls, said the Geneva competition is organised by FIRST Global robotics, a non-profit organisation focusing on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education for youth around the world.
“We put out a call and sent letters to schools for students to apply, then we interviewed those who applied and we started training them,” she said.
Ms Ekyarisiima said: “The selection is based on the commitment of the student to learn, passion for science, ability to understand and work in teams to solve some problems and think critically.”
