Carnarvon schools Robotics teams visit Amazon Web Services Skills Centre in Cape Town

Twelve learners who are part of the Robotics teams from Carnarvon High School, Carnarvon Primary School and their coaches that had participated in the National First Lego League Competition in 2024, had the opportunity to visit the Amazon Web Services Skills Centre on Friday, 31 January 2025.

It was quite a remarkable experience, because the learners had the opportunity to hear about the different careers in Amazon. Learners were shown how the process works for the development of apps, then placed into groups of four to identify a problem in their community, discuss a solution, design an app on paper and present it to the group.

Chantel Mathison, Professional Officer in the SARAO Schools Programme, says that her pride in the Robotics group grows each year. “I believe that our learners have come very far because the problems and solutions were relevant and well thought through, and they showed remarkable confidence when they presented to the group,” says Mathison.

Part of the day’s programme was also a scavenger hunt during which the learners had to read and search for clues and answers in order to complete the set of questions. “All the exhibitions that were part of the hunt had valuable information about the Amazon Web Services Skills Centre that we were not aware of. The whole process was a valuable learning process for the robotics group,” says Mathison.

The SARAO Robotics Programme is coordinated by the SARAO Human Capital Development Schools Programme, and has been running the Robotics Schools Programme in the Karoo since 2016. The aim is to develop and inspire an interest in STEM skills in the schools around the development of the MeerKAT radio telescope, a precursor to the Square Kilometre Array.

Three Robotics teams participated in the First Lego League South Africa Nationals Robotics Competition held on 6 and 7 December 2024 in Johannesburg, competing against 62 other teams from across South Africa.

The next competition that the Robotics teams will participate in is the Open Africa International Championship to be held in May 2025 in Cape Town.