The Christian Service University College (CSUC) has teamed up with the Ghana Robotics
Academy Foundation (GRAF) for the 2019 National Robotics competition for the Middle sector on
Wednesday 2 October 2019, involving high schools in Ashanti and Brong Ahafo.
The robotics competition which has been organised by GRAF over the years has seen participation
grow and get keener with the entrance of new participants. This year’s competition was hosted
at the premises of Our Lady of Grace High School in Mamponteng, near Kumasi. To enable
a smooth organisation of the competition, the country has been divided into four sectors:
Northern, Middle, Western and Eastern sectors.
Robotics incorporates a range of skills, and promotes a learning environment for people with
different talents. As part of their preparations, students are made to work in teams to solve
specific problems provided in advance.
The design of the competition enables participants to combine creative thinking with hands-on
engagement. While students employ teamwork, and engage in programming their robots to
solve the problem they have been given, they develop essential skills by having to
think through the problem strategically with a focus on logical reasoning, analytical
reasoning, and critical thinking.
The development of this ability is crucial for both academic and professional success, not
limited to critical science fields, but also for non-science fields.The competition is the first
joint project involving GRAF and CSUC since the two organised a boot camp in August at
CSUC that trained trainers to prepare students in robotics from the basic level to the
university category.
During the current competition, staff of the CSUC Computer Science Department prepared
two teams that represented Our Lady of Grace High School. The Department also provided
an official who served as one of the judges to oversee the successful running of the
programme.
It would be recalled that in May this year, Ghana’s team prepared by GRAF won the 2019
Robofest World Championship held in Michigan, US, by beating their counterparts from the
US, Japan, China, and South Korea among others. Participants have the opportunity to
representGhana in subsequent World Robofest Championships and other international
competitions.
