3 schools to represent Nigeria at World Robotics Olympiad in India
Three private schools have qualified for the World Robotics Olympiad set to hold in November.
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The three schools are Imperial Gate, Lagos Island, that won the Elementary Regular Category and Elementary Open Category, Model College, Meiran in the Junior Category and the Senior Category was won by Surrogate Achievers, at the competition which took place on Saturday, October 15 in Lagos state.
The schools automatically qualified for the World Robotics Olympiad slated for November 25 to November 27 with 85, 20 and 100 score points respectively.
The competition held at the 2016 Nigeria Robotics Olympiad Qualifiers/Symposium, organised by Arc-Lights Foundation in Lagos, bring abstract concepts to life in a fun, hands-on way that keeps the students engaged.
LEGO bricks are used to turn numbers, words, and ideas into real life models that can be touched, described and expanded on.
In the process, the students learn to collaborate with one another while encouraging self-guided learning by creating enthusiasm, even as students are given the tools needed to overcome challenges.
One of the students from Imperial Gate, Sandra Umeh, speaking on behalf of the winners in the Elementary Regular and Open Categories, with an overall score of 200 over 300, explained that robotics involved creative thinking and constant practice which led to success.
Mr Bayo Biyeye, the Director of Science and Technology, Lagos State Ministry of Education, also commended the Lagos State government for their work in promoting robotics in schools.
Biyeye added that the government has been supporting it for over five years and described the programme as a good one.
“The government has also provided Lego Kits for our schools; we want to make sure that the schools have the kits so that the children can practice.
“It is a good programme and an application of Information Communication Technology (ICT),’’ he said.
The Managing Director of Arc-Light Foundation, organisers of the event, Mrs Bisola Obasanya, said that the programme promoted science, technology, engineering and mathematics among children.
She added that about 22,000 children from public and private primary, secondary and tertiary institutions took part in the competition before the arriving at the qualifier.
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Obasanya said that robotics also made children think critically, stimulates creativity and helps kids think out of the box.
“Kids like it a lot; it is not like the normal regular boring school work.
“Whenever they are on their own, it looks as if they are playing with toys but in actual sense learning.
“Kids love Lego education, children learn through it, it is a different way of teaching,’’ she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that different competitions were held in different regions of the state before the best 48 schools that took part in the qualifier were selected.
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