Zimbabwean students in Singapore for robotics competitions

Five Zimbabwean students have traveled to Singapore to participate in this year's First Global Challenge, an international robotics competition.

The five team members, Tanatswa Taremba, Tinashe Kwiri, Christwish Ushewokunze, Natalie Mupotaringa, and Tavonga Musariri, represent Tynwald High, Queen Elizabeth, and Rusape's Milestone College, respectively. These students were selected from Harare and Manicaland provinces and will join students from 196 other countries at the event.

The international robotics competition aims to celebrate and promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in a similar manner to how other sporting disciplines are celebrated.

Charles Matanga, the national robotics instructor and team leader, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the competition. He highlighted the team's previous success in winning a gold medal in Geneva in 2022 and emphasized the importance of such competitions in promoting professionalism and aligning with the government's education and skills-based curriculum.

Matanga also expressed his desire to see a robotics curriculum introduced in Zimbabwe, emphasizing that innovation can come from homegrown ideas and that providing the youth with the right tools and opportunities can lead to remarkable achievements.

The First Global Challenge is organized by First Global, a US-based non-profit public charity founded by Dean Kamen. Its mission is to foster cross-cultural communication and cooperation among high school students worldwide through STEM activities.

The theme of the 2023 First Global Challenge is "Hydrogen Horizons." Participants are tasked with using hydrogen-powered robots to separate hydrogen from oxygen and produce energy, showcasing the importance of renewable energy and environmental sustainability in robotics and STEM fields.