Muscat: Oman’s Ministry of Education is hosting the country’s first-ever National Robot Olympiad in a bid to inculcate a scientific temper in Omani schoolchildren.
A total of 34 teams have signed up for the competition, vying for a spot at the ‘World Robot Olympiad (WRO) 2010’ to be held in Manila, the Philippines, as Oman’s official delegation.
UAE-based educational solutions provider Edutech is collaborating with the ministry in staging the competition in a leading school in Muscat on Thursday. Also backing the initiative is the World Robot Olympiad Committee and LEGO Education.
A unique competition for mid-school and high-school students to test their innovativeness, creativity and technological abilities in the world of robotics, the event will witness participating teams solve basic robotic problems within a predetermined time limit using a set of standard equipment and parts.
This year, participants in the Open Category will have to assemble a robot following the theme ‘Robot to Promote Tourism’ and demonstrate their creation’s unique capabilities both in a verbal and written presentation. Each team will be judged according to their robot’s relevance to the theme, creativity, technical superiority and overall presentation.
“We are focusing on raising a talented and technologically-savvy generation by developing their skills through the science of robotics,” said Khalid al Siyabi, Director-General of Information Technology, Ministry of Education.
“We are confident that this competition will have a significant impact on the Science curriculum and the development of students’ personality, creativity, and problem solving and decision making skills.”
Established in 2002 in Singapore, the ‘World Robot Olympiad’ is an annual event that brings together talented young robotics enthusiasts from various countries to exhibit their robotics and creative skills under multiple categories.
The event has been to Thailand, China, Taiwan, Japan, and is headed to the Philippines this year.
