By Amoto Ndiewo
Seven Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centres in Mombasa are competing in the inaugural County Robotics Competition, an event that is aimed at training 30,000 ECDE pupils in robotics annually.
The competition which involves Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) studies began today at Mama Ngina Waterfront Park in Mombasa.
The Mombasa County ICT Chief Anwar Ahmed told Education Newspaper on phone that each competing school has provided six PP2 contestants in the finals.
He clarified that the competition was part of county robotics programme targeting ECDE pupils spread across the 104 centres in the island county.
Ahmed said those taking part in the competition include Likoni, Mtongwe, Kdzandani, Utange, Khadija, Jomvu, and SOS Children’s Home for the programme which was launched last year and targets to train 30,000 ECDE pupils yearly in robotics.
“So far, six ECDE centres have been fully equipped to gift robotics training program and the adequate roll out of equipment will follow on the remaining 98 public ECDE centres,’’ said Ahmed.
He added that the department of ICT and Innovation will play an important role in inducing ideas of innovation and critical thinking at a tender age.
“The training also targets equipping the children with necessary skills to participate in solving global problems,’’ said Ahmed who added that the programme will prepare Mombasa as a technology and business hub that will transform her future generations.
He said the county government will establish a County Innovation Fund which will come with community based innovation Hubs in the six sub-counties of Mombasa.
“Last year, Mombasa received global recognition for rolling out ICT projects that have helped improve service delivery,’’ Ahmed told Education News.
He added that to their satisfaction, the projects received the Best Digital Innovation and Leadership Award during the CIO 100 Africa Symposium at Sarova Whitesands Hotel, Mombasa recently.
He also disclosed that in the same year, they partnered with Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Mombasa Campus when the county conducted Covid -19 Innovation Challenges targeting nine secondary school students in the island city.
“We have also partnered with the Stanbic Bank Foundation, which donated 20 computers that have been of immense use to the polytechnics. We have contributed the computers to Likoni and Maunguja colleges,’’ said the ICT chief.
