Students from 22 schools displayed their technical skills in the second annual First Lego League Jamaica 2024 National Robotics Competition for Primary Schools at the Assembly Hall, The University of the West Indies, Mona, on Saturday.

Staged by Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations (UJAA) and FIRST Tech Challenge, the event is aimed at boosting student engagement with STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education from an early age.

“They get to build a robot and they get to programme the robots to do some very simple tasks and then they come here and they get to compete at what is called a table top exercise where they win points based on what their robot is able to do,” UJAA Immediate Past President Lesleyann Samuel told the
Jamaica Observer.

She said that introducing students to robotics at the primary school level was not only an attempt at improving their technical skills, but it played a key role in implementing basic core values and communication skills in students which, she said, was an essential component of the day’s activities.

“Part of what first inspired our recognition for what science and technology is really trying to do is to use robotics so children not only develop technical skills but personal skills, communication skills, [and] to be able to articulate the process that they went through, the fun that they had, how they made decisions, how they decided amongst themselves whether they should do A, B, or C when they had a difference of opinion, how they worked through that and to be able to do that in a way that is productive and enriching to them as people,” Samuel said.

She said this year’s competition provided an opportunity for students to develop their technological skills and to use what they have to improve for next year.

Current UJAA President Donovan Wilson said the organisation’s concern for the limited involvement of primary school students in robotics was one of the main reasons behind starting the competition last year.

“For years robotics was in Jamaica; in fact, it started years ago with JC [Jamaica College] and UJAA came in and we started to work, but there was no robotics for primary schools, and if you think of it, every high school get kids from the primary schools and so the idea of having primary school robotics was born,” he said.

Wilson explained that the goal for next year is to not only increase the number of schools involved in the competition but to have primary school students competing internationally and representing the country in robotics.

He praised the students for their active participation in the day’s activities and commended them for their resilience even when things did not go according to plan.

“I think the day went exceptionally well and the kids were good, because where there was a malfunction they found a way to fix it and fix it quickly,” he told the
Sunday Observer.

Wilson used the opportunity to urge students and teachers to embrace these opportunities, noting the importance of STEM education for students in today’s world.

“Everyone is talking about STEM, it’s the wave of the future, and unless you are able to work with robotics to build and programme robots, unless you are able to work in that area, you are going to be left behind. Some of our teachers are very old school and they are stuck in their ways, but I will tell you something I saw today, many of our kids, when it comes to this robotics thing, they are as good as the teachers, and even better than the teachers in some cases,” Wilson said.

Director of the Primary Schools Team Chair at UJAA Evelyn Godden agreed. She said that primary schools must be involved in robotics if the field is to expand locally. As such, the robotic’s competition plays an important role in highlighting the importance of primary school involvement and showcases the students’ talents to the global stage.

“Our goal going forward is to make it bigger, to improve, to include other schools across the rural area. Some of the schools that are here are from Montego Bay and across the island, they got here real early this morning to show the commitment of these students and what it means to them to be in this space with their peers,” said Godden.

During the event, Azuri McFarlene, a student at Beulah Primary School in Clarendon, eagerly showed off his robotic truck that he and his classmates created during the day.

As he explained the robot’s functionalities, Azuri said that he used an app on his mobile phone to control the robot’s movement. He expressed excitement at being able to create the device with his classmates and stressed the importance of teamwork in getting the job done during the day.

“It was fun because everybody pitched in and helped bring parts, and they pitched their own ideas. We were going to build a different one but we made up our mind and we chose to build this one… so we learnt a lot and we are very happy to be here today,” he told the
Sunday Observer.

Based in New York, UJAA is a non-profit umbrella organisation of alumni associations of Jamaican educational institutions. It was created to improve educational opportunities for students in Jamaica and those who have migrated to the United States of America.