Pupils from Erica Primary in Belhar have qualified for a robotics competition in Johannesburg. Picture: Supplied
Cape Town - Steady and ready to take on the world of robotics, pupils from Erica Primary in Belhar came out tops at the provincial robotics competition, walking away with four of the six awards in their category, and having just three months to prepare themselves.
The 12 Grade 6 and 7 pupils who make up the school’s robotics and coding club persevered through their challenges and made it in the top 17 out of 40 other classes around the country.
One of the pupils, Noa Maarman, Grade 7, said that the best moment of her experience at the competition was being able to work together as a team to reach one goal.
“The best moment at the competition was that it was the first time we participated in a competition of this nature and having won so many of the awards in our category, and having achieved something like this in such a short amount of time makes me proud of myself and the club. We are truly proud of ourselves and grateful for the support we received,” said Noa.
Robotics coach of the school’s robotics and coding club, Kaylin Phyfer, said that the pupils worked really hard as there’s been tremendous growth from the first lesson they had, which started in the middle of May.
“The kids worked extremely hard preparing for the competition. They honestly came with such a vibrant attitude, such a dedicated attitude. We spent hours practising, we spent weekends practising. It showed their determination for what their goals were for this year and you know I’m so proud of them in the fact that they actually were able to achieve what they set out to achieve at the championship and even more so now we are going to nationals.
“Looking at how this type of project contributes to South Africa in the world of coding, I think the first thing that comes to mind is opportunity, essentially because we’re starting within the school. These are our future engineers, these are our future pilots, these are our future aerospace engineers, and starting with things as simple as creating the robot to cut grass, it’s something that is going to broaden the spectrum and broaden the mind of these learners, and I think it is so important to have that within schools and not just have teachers teaching the textbooks. The clubs allow the pupils to be active, be creative and be problem-solvers, and coding allows these to take place, and I think the contribution robotics gives to education is important,” said Phyfer.
Expressing her love for the world of science, robotics and coding, Hannah Baartman said that if a pupil loves science, they will definitely achieve their goals.
“My advice would be that if you love science, I suggest that you go and chase that dream and not worry about what people think. I was also once scared about what people would think of loving science, but actually once you get to learn more about it you start to experience things that some people haven't experienced at this age that I am in right now. Qualities I think a person should have to join a robotics club would be time management, and how you bond with other people, critical thinking, and making sure you believe in yourself and you believe in the team spirit,” said Hannah.