Five Northern Cape learners flew the South African flag high at the World Robot Olympiad Friendship Invitational Tournament that took place in Denmark recently.
AFTER being part of only four African countries that formed part of the World Robot Olympiad Friendship Invitational Tournament that took place in Denmark from September 21 to September 24, five Northern Cape learners beamed with pride after ensuring that South Africa was well represented during the tournament.
The five learners from Carnarvon High School – Peter John Gous, 13, Jayden Simon, 14, Cadi Jann, 14, Roswell Pipes, 15, and Revan De Wee, 15 – had to compete against 41 other teams from around the world when they participated in the Senior Category of the competition.
The Northern Cape learners all expressed their excitement about being part of the tournament.
“We formed two teams, one team that had two members and another team that had three members. Our teams had to compete against teams from across the world. The children in our category were between the ages of 14 and 19 years old. There were 1,200 school learners that attended the tournament.
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“It was exciting and eye-opening to see the designs and skill-sets of other children. It is also the first time our country, South Africa, got to compete in the olympiad. The other African countries were Ghana, Kenya and Egypt.
“It was such an honour to represent our country at that level and for three of our members it was the first time setting foot on an aeroplane and being overseas. We learnt a lot and this experience is one we will carry with us forever,” they said.
They indicated that they will continue to learn as much as possible about robotics and expand their knowledge and craft in the field.
“Robotics challenges us to expand our brain. It is wonderful to see something that you had in mind come to life after you have built it. We definitely want to be part of the team of engineers, architects and scientists who see the deeper side of a wire and a wheel. It is also fun to put the robots together.
“The team work that goes into that is unimaginable as each one of us have different strengths, but we are able to almost make magic once we put all our talents together. If this is so much at this stage, then the fun will be more exhilarating once we are older. It will basically be like being paid to play all day long,” they said with a chuckle.
The professional officer of the Schools Programme of the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), Chantel Mabaleng, said learners in Carnarvon and surrounding areas have over the years shown a keen interest in robotics.
“We are working with the schools in the Carnarvon and Brandvlei area. We have workshops and robotics classes with learners who are attending any of the schools from Carnarvon to Brandvlei. We have seen many children come on board after we have introduced robotics in the school. The children also bear witness to how far their peers get to travel through robotics and they then also want the same achievements,” said Mabaleng.
SARAO has been growing and funding learners at Carnarvon High School for many years and has been grooming them in the fields of mathematics and science. We have witnessed the impact robotics has made in the lives of the learners as it not only teaches them to think but also gives them the confidence to step forward and compete on the world stage.”
Mabaleng added that the local community in Carnarvon has also embraced robotics.
“The parents of the learners have also given their support to their children to participate in robotics. The practice sessions are draining and lengthy, but the children are very happy once they see their end results. The parents do not discourage the children when they have to attend the classes, which can at times continue for many hours, as they have seen the results of their children’s work.
“Though Carnarvon is a small town, it is producing world-class and successful products that will in the near future play a significant role in the technology, mathematics and science sectors,” Mabaleng said.
