STEM Guyana gifted $1M for First Global Robotic challenge 2019 ― ten Guyanese, aged 15-18 will be representing country

Sep 18, 2019 News

Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Annette Ferguson, yesterday handed over a $1M cheque to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Guyana team, which will be representing the country at this year’s ‘First Global Robotic’ competition in Dubai.

Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Annette Ferguson

Paul Glasgow, STEM Guyana team member

In 2017, STEM Guyana participated in the First Global Challenge in Washington, D.C and placed 10th out of 164 participating countries. Held in Mexico last year, the Guyana team also came out successful. Already, the team has indicated its commitment to returning home triumphant.
“This year hopefully, we are looking forward to getting good result whereby we can be in the top five,” said team member Paul Glasgow, during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI).
The most sought-after international event begins on October 24 and continues until the 27, will see ten Guyanese, ages 15-18 representing the nation.
At the ceremony, Minister Ferguson reiterated the government’s commitment to investing in the nation’s young people, citing that the administration has already invested heavily in the education of Guyanese. She noted the promotion of youth initiatives as it believes this could only transform the social economic and political landscape of the nation.
The small event also witnessed the launch of a partnership effort between the Ministry of Communities (MoC) through its Green Generation Guyana 3Gs programme and the STEM Guyana team, to help find solutions to the management of solid waste throughout Guyana.
Furthermore, the two partners will participate in various projects collectively for the remaining of 2019. “We have more than 52 clubs across the country, where we will give them different projects every week to look at the various waste management projects that we have in the country and to get the input of the young people, as to how they would manage their waste to solve these problems… we will also introduce new policies for them, and hopefully, we will see a change in the waste management practices of our country,” Glasgow explained.
Additionally, Minister Ferguson said her ministry is working assiduously to do its part in ensuring that students understand their responsibility to the environment and that assistance of everyone is needed to achieve the task at hand.
“Government will continue to promote the green agenda which is now critical to the survival of our families, our country and that of our planet. [The government] endeavours to partner with like-minded individuals, activist and Civil Society groups and organization in the fight to keep our biodiversity intact and preserve our environment,” added Minister Ferguson.
(A DPI release)