PHOTOS: Kagame awards students with best robotics, AI projects

President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame presided over the award ceremony for the winners of the Rwanda First Lego League (FLL) challenge and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hackathon on March 16 at Intare Conference Arena. The FLL programme is an internationally recognised initiative that challenges students to explore real-world problems, research solutions, and build and program educational robots to accomplish specific missions, while the AI Hackathon was designed for secondary schools, with the aim of introducing students to the world of artificial intelligence, providing them with hands-on skills to solve real-world challenges using technology and inspiring them to explore the fields of science, technology, engineering and Mathematics (STEM). ALSO READ: Experts: Use of robots in schools can inspire innovative solutions The event saw College du Christ-Roi Team 1 emerging as the national champions of the FLL, while the Federal Government College of Nigeria secured the international championship in the same challenge. Additionally, a team of three students from Ecole Secondaire de Kayonza were declared the winners of the AI Hackathon challenge. In his address, Kagame pledged to contribute towards providing laptops to participating students, including those from Botswana, Nigeria, and Uganda, emphasising his commitment to supporting the participants' education. “I will not bother you with the budget. I want to give our young people a laptop each. Just make sure you deliver my gifts to those on the final,” he said, tasking the ministers of education and ICT and innovation to oversee the implementation. The Head of State commended the achievements of the national robotics programme and the FLL challenge and AI Hachathon, citing their significant importance to the country and Africa as a whole. ALSO READ: Make Artificial Intelligence work for Africa – Kagame He underscored the value of robotics and artificial intelligence, emphasising the educational benefits of the programme extending beyond mere competition. Robotics and Artificial Intelligence are outstanding ways to learn science, engineering, technology, and also teamwork, he remarked. Kagame extended his congratulations and gratitude to all participants for their efforts, expressing anticipation for future growth. He offered special thanks to Greg Wyler, an American tech entrepreneur and executive chairman of OneWeb and the founder of O3b Networks, as well as his daughter, Amelia Wyler. Additionally, he thanked the sponsors and organizers, including the First Lego League, Global Learning Council, GIZ, among others. Fostering teamwork, competition and confidence among students The FLL competition featured 25 teams from Rwandan schools and 10 from international schools, each competing in three matches on designated tables. Utilising programmed educational robots, teams tackled 15 missions within a tight timeframe of 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Cheerleaders were on hand to uplift team morale throughout the intense matches. Judges evaluated teams on their innovation projects, robot game scores, and adherence to core values such as creativity, discovery, fun, teamwork, and inclusion, among others. Gaspard Twagirayezu, the Minister of Education, described the FLL challenge as a culmination of a process that began in November 2023 involving 100 schools from Rwanda and across Africa. We organised this in the form of a sports competition because we want our students to discover the joy of working together, competing, learning, and developing confidence that even if it looks like magic, it's the magic they can conquer, he said. They have to figure out a solution in 2.5 minutes, and this is to ensure that they can also keep in mind that everything should be done on time. Twagirayezu further noted that the competition is one aspect of a broader effort to integrate the principles into school curricula, ensuring that students develop the skills and confidence to utilise new technologies to address societal challenges. ALSO READ: REB to include robotics courses in national curriculum Winners speak out Armel Shema, a senior four student at College du Christ-Roi in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (PCB) was the team leader of Team 1 at the school, which clinched the national championship in the First Lego League challenge. The team will represent Rwanda in an international competition scheduled in April. Shema said their project, prototyped with precision, harnesses the power of virtual reality—an innovation aligning with the challenge’s theme, Masterpiece, which merges art and technology to ignite artistic inspiration. He said their robot, which they used to maneuver through the robot game, has compact design and efficiently completes numerous tasks within the designated timeframe, which increased their chances to win. He added, Our teachers provide us with the space and time to hone our skills. We're grateful to them and our parents for their support in our pursuit of excellence. We see ourselves soaring to greater heights, equipped with engineering and critical thinking skills. Aline Munezero, a senior six student at Ecole Secondaire de Kayonza in Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science (MPC), was part of the triumphant team of three in the AI Hackathon. Their project seeks to empower the visually impaired by granting them independent access to educational and informational resources. With a simple button press, users can engage the computer, which analyses queries and delivers responses audibly. Munezero expressed gratitude to the organisers, the school, and their parents for facilitating their journey toward the international stage. “Our aspirations include incorporating Kinyarwanda language support and integrating e-learning functionalities in our solution, among other enhancements,” she said.

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PHOTOS: Kagame awards students with best robotics, AI projects