Guyana to host international robotics competition in 2019; STEMGuyana appeals to private sector for robotic kits

Last Updated on Sunday, 23 September 2018, 18:18 by Denis Chabrol

Guyana is expected to host the International Youth Robotics Competition (IYRC) league pre-qualifier competition in in 2019, STEMGuyana said Sunday.

STEMGuyana said it signed an agreement with the the International Youth Robot Association to be the pre-qualifying body responsible for organizing the annual qualifier national robot competition among Guyanese primary and secondary school-aged student-teams to represent Guyana at the IYRC.

The agreement was signed on September 19, 2018.

“The competition is expected to attract more than 100 school teams, community centre clubs and other civil society organizations in the 7-12 yrs, 13-17 yrs and open categories of competition,” STEMGuyana.

Participation in the IYRC competition means that Guyana will now participate in two global competitions including the First Global competition in which Guyana has sent two national teams to represent the country in 2017 and 2018.

The 2018 IYRC will be held from November 30 to December  at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand while the location of the 2019 competition in which Guyana will compete has not yet been announced.

STEMGuyana said the for the young people participating in the robotics league, the annual competition will be the culmination of months of preparation which will see students develop their technical skills while strengthening their communication, collaboration and critical thinking skills.

Co-Founder of STEMGuyana, Karen Abrams shared that Guyana’s participation will, for the first time, allow primary and secondary schools students and out of school youth in Guyana to join more than 100 nations in the world whose youth are able to benefit from participation and exposure to robot building and programming activities at the global level. “Our young people will gain the confidence and expertise needed to excel at the global level and the early exposure will ultimately benefit student Maths and Science performance,“ said Abrams. “Our major challenge is to ensure that young people from all walks of life are able to participate- not just those whose parents and schools can afford robots, “said Abrams.

To that end, she said STEM Guyana was appealing to the the private sector organizations to sponsor robot kits for clubs and schools in the communities in which their customers live. The organisation also thanked the Office Of The First Lady, Guyana Telephone and Telegraph, the Diaspora, the Department of Youth, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Telecommunications for their support in making the program possible.

Abrams also noted that the STEMGuyana plan for 100 STEM clubs in 2019 was ambitious, but with the support of the public and private sectors and the Diaspora, she was confident that everyone would work together to ensure that Guyanese youth are allowed the same opportunities to prepare for the future that children in wealthier countries are given.

STEMGuyana will certify more than 50 STEM club coaches in October 1  to 4, 2018 and plans a second session of another 50 potential coaches for the following week.

Schools and clubs interested in participating in the national league in 2019 are encouraged to call STEMGuyana at
592-616-4454 or email stemguyana@gmail.com to register for the October 8th-9th, 2018 training program.