This year’s Nairobi International Book Fair saw students from various schools participate in the making of robots, an Artificial Intelligence project that eKitabu adopted as part of its core activities.
Kevin Irungu, a software developer and the CEO of Chipurobo—which collaborates with eKitabu in this project—describes robotics as the culmination of creativity: seeing something come to life, joining things together using maths, and finally breathing life to the robots using code.
Schools such as Bungoma High School, Alliance Girls, Njiiri School and Starehe Boys Centre had sessions in which they learned how to manufacture a robot—gaining skills in both engineering and technology.
“As a country, we should move towards the direction of robotics. The difference between our country and other countries abroad such as China and Japan is how they approach education. They approach it in a more innovative and technological way,” said Daniel Mwangi, a teacher from Njiiri School.
The students were more than excited to experience the sessions and even with little to no knowledge of information technology, they all had something to take home. Abigael Nyakwea from Alliance Girls believes that everything now is technology-related and robotics will therefore inspire people to become better in every field. According to her, if she were to build the robot of her dreams, it would be one that would solve environmental problems not just in Kenya but the whole world.
“Robotics prepares students for future jobs as it introduces them to different fields such as mechatronics, electronics, and software engineering,” said Irungu. He said robotics helps students learn about engineering and other disciplines that one would normally go to campus to study; a course that would usually take four years on campus now takes three to four months to complete. He believes that learning robotics at an early age is important as the child develops critical thinking skills, teamwork, communication skills, and even problem-solving skills as they grow. This will help them not only in classrooms but even in real-life situations.
It is even more surprising to learn that students who are average learners or even slow learners are the ones who mostly thrive in skills such as robotics. “Average learners and slow learners tend to thrive in robotics because the fast learners usually want things to happen fast, but the average learner takes time in assembling and putting up the robot until it works,” said Stellah Akuku, a teacher from Starehe Boys Centre. This is to mean that if a student is not so good in their studies, they can thrive in other soft skills and sometimes even prove to be geniuses. Mwangi agrees, adding that for the average learner, learning skills like robotics helps them to realize their talent.
“Robotics makes everything more efficient; work becomes easier and even faster,” said Simba Gift, a student from Bungoma High School. If he was given a chance to design a robot, he said, he would build one that would aid people with disabilities to move around and see the world. eKitabu has partnered with other organisations to support learners with disabilities and even help them learn about robotics by building special materials. For example, learners who are blind have 3D printed razor cut parts which are labelled with tactile labelling, meaning that labels are placed on the robots that help identify which part goes where. The deaf learners, on the other hand, have accessible videos designed by Studio KSL at eKitabu and put in their curriculum to help them learn.
Unfortunately, every good thing comes with its challenges. As much as robotics has a lot of advantages for learners, the resources and money used to buy or maintain them is a challenge. Training for teachers and even students can sometimes be difficult because of lack of a background in coding or computer science. “If something is growing too fast or changing too fast, then it actually leaves individuals with the responsibility of learning as much as you can,” said Irungu. He added that there were more skills coming up and sometimes the challenge is knowing what to pick and teach and what to drop; therefore, even after learning about robotics one should put in the effort to stay relevant by learning more on technology and upcoming trends.
Robotics has proved to be an important skill worldwide. Murunga Phillan, a teacher from Bungoma High School, said that the skills will not only generate income in different fields but also make an individual self-reliant. Moreover, jobs are created in a country with few employment opportunities. Irungu added that with skills in robotics, even if someone has no money to pay for education, they can get a job entirely through their skills.
The question at the end of the day is, should robotics be included in the education curriculum? Some schools in Kenya have proved that robotics has helped their students to build skills and grow in technology. It is a topic that is being increasingly raised in government and also by individuals who are willing to change as the world does.