Jamaica’s Minister of Education and Youth, Fayval Williams says robotics can provide solutions to the nation’s problems and help increase productivity and economic growth.
Williams was speaking at the 2023 staging of the NCB Foundation’s Jamaica National Robotics Championship held at Jamaica College (JC) in St Andrew on Saturday, February 25.
She noted that there is a need for innovation in the country, adding that robotics can be applied in education in agriculture, manufacturing, shipping, pharmaceutical, food packaging, and welding industries.
“It will boost the gross domestic product (GDP) of our country by completing value-added tasks accurately and quickly,” she said.
Several students from 29 high schools across the island participated in the National Robotics Championship.
The two-day competition which began on February 24 allowed students to showcase their innovation and creativity in robotics.
Students were assessed on how well they used programming, research, and critical thinking to develop solutions to problems they encounter every day.
Fayval Williams applauded the students who participated in the competition and said that Jamaica has the potential to become a dominant force in robotics.
The winner of the competition, Jamaica College (JC), and Immaculate Conception High, who finished in second place, will represent Jamaica at the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) World Championships in April in the United States.
