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Janet Kataaha Museveni praised Young Engineers Uganda for hosting the first-ever Ugandan STEM and Vex Robotics Championship in Kampala, Uganda, on December 6, 2024 . Students from 23 schools and a home school team gathered at the National ICT Hub Nakawa on November 29 .Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni, First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, praised Young Engineers Uganda for successfully hosting the first-ever Uganda National STEM and Vex Robotics Championship in Kampala, Uganda, on December 6, 2024. Students from 23 schools and a home school team gathered at the National ICT Hub Nakawa on November 29 to demonstrate their robots prowess and vie for a position in the Vex World robots World Championship in Dallas, USA.
The First Lady commended the planners and attendees in a speech given on her behalf by Mrs. Juliet Atuhaire Muzoora, the Commissioner for Secondary Schools, and emphasised the value of STEM education in fostering Uganda’s future generation of innovators. She pointed out that the championship supports skill-building initiatives and equips young people for the challenges of the twenty-first century, which are key components of the government’s development goal.
In addition, the First Lady urged more schools to enter upcoming competitions, stressing the importance of developing and motivating the next generation of Ugandan scientists, inventors, and problem solvers. She thanked the parents, teachers, sponsors, and partners who helped make the occasion possible. Uganda will send four of the Vex Championship-winning schools to the Vex World Robotics Championship in April of the following year. These are Soroti Municipal SS and The Stoneridge School, which won Vex V5, and Daffodils Primary School and Acorns International School, which won Vex IQ.
Through practical STEM and robotics instruction, the African School of Innovations Science and Technology (ASIST) Ltd., the event’s organiser, hopes to develop the next generation of Ugandan scientists, innovators, problem solvers, and creative thinkers. The event was held under its Flagship brand, Young Engineers Uganda. In his keynote address, Arinaitwe Rugyendo, the founder of Young Engineers Uganda and the African School of Innovations Science and Technology Limited (ASIST), stressed the value of raising a new generation of innovators, problem-solvers, and thinkers. He pointed out that Uganda has to have a critical mass of scientists and innovators because Africa still contributes very little to the world’s scientific understanding.
The inventor also emphasised the necessity for an alternative educational strategy that emphasises problem-based learning, project-based learning, and experiential learning. He underlined that many pupils are dissatisfied and disengaged due to the traditional educational approach, which emphasises memorisation. The competition is a component of a broader initiative to advance STEM education in Uganda and equip the nation’s young people to face the challenges of the twenty-first century.
He thanked the UNDP, Ministry of Education and Sports, Ministry of ICT, Vex Robotics, REC-Foundation, Eaton Cooperation, NEC-UPDF, Smart24 television, Kazire Health Products Ltd., and Young Engineers Uganda for their support of the event. In order to provide every Ugandan child the skills and self-assurance they need to succeed in the workforce of the twenty-first century, he urged the government, educational institutions, and parents to acknowledge and support the program.
The competition served as both a forum for Ugandan youngsters to display their talents and a celebration of their potential. Nine schools qualified to represent Uganda at the International Greenwich Olympiad in the UK next year, and four schools won and will represent Uganda at the Vex World Robotics Championship in April of the same year. The event was a great success. According to the founder, “This is a championship—a celebration of potential and a platform for Uganda’s next generation of innovators—rather than a competition.” The occasion signalled the start of an endeavour to advance STEM education in Uganda and equip the young people of the nation to face the challenges of the twenty-first century.
