The Department of Education (DepED) commended five learners from two public elementary schools in Quezon City after winning bronze medals in the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) held in Dortmund, Germany last month.
In a statement, DepED said that the robotics team of Betty Go-Belmonte Elementary School (BGBES) composed of Angelina Phoebe Castañeda, Mikaella Jannielle Sevilla, and Joem Fugaban secured a bronze score ranking in the Robo Mission category, wherein contestants design, construct and program an autonomous robot that can solve specific challenges on the field.
Likewise, Abisha Beatrix Florante and Zurina Mae Clemente of Project 6 Elementary School (P6ES) bagged the country’s second bronze medal in the Future Innovators category after developing a robot that would go on rescue missions in times of natural disasters instead of humans.
The WRO is an annual international robotics competition for students aged 8 to 19 years.
The competition aims to promote robotics in STEM education worldwide and help develop young people's creativity, design, and problem-solving skills through challenging and educational robot competitions and activities.
Michael Armentia, the coach of BGBES, commended his team for doing a job well done despite it being their first time competing on the international stage. He noted that Filipino students can “compete with other countries when it comes to robotics.”
Meanwhile, P6ES Coach Shiela Rosa also underscored the significance of exposing Filipino learners to global competitions.
“Competing on the international platform brings so much joy and excitement to us and of course, pride to our country,” she said.
As opportunities like these give students access to new knowledge and build confidence, Rosa expressed hope more schools can be equipped with robotics laboratories can also join major competitions.