A prestigious RoboGirl 2023 Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony was hosted by the Durban University of Technology (DUT), Department of Information Technology in partnership with Lenovo and Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) to acknowledge the girls that took part in Robogirl2023.
The winners were part of a group of Seventy Five (75) Grade 10 and 11 young girls from 15 schools within the eThekwini region that are mostly located in historically disadvantaged communities took part in the one week event held at DUT. These girls had undergone three days of intensive training on coding, robotics, Internet of Things (IOT) and introduced to Artificial Intelligence (AI). Each school made up of five girls were then given a project to complete in two days where they had to apply the skills taught. The projects were based around smart farming and robotics. Each team was required to build an IOT solution using microcontrollers, sensors and actuators, code and transfer their data via the cloud to an IOT MQTT server. The teams were judged by a panel of experts who selected the top three schools and the school that won the Best Poster Award.
A team of five girls from Centenary High School in Sydenham, Durban were announced as the first prize winner of the RoboGirl 2023 at the RoboGirl Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony, which was held at Elangeni Hotel on Saturday, 09 December 2023. Verulam Islamic was placed second and Palmview Secondary third with Verulam Islamic also winning the Best Poster Award.
Ms. Jane Govindsamy, CSR Champion at Lenovo had initiated RoboGirl2023 together with Ebrahim Asmal. In 2022, Lenovo partnered with DUT to host the pilot project of RoboGirl 2022, which was a huge success with the transfer of 4IR skills to young girls. She stated that as a result they had decided to host RoboGirl 2023 which was even bigger and better as they had received new sponsors.
DUT Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning, Dr. Azwitevhelwi Nevhutalu.
Addressing the girls at the event, the DUT Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning, Dr. Azwitevhelwi Nevhutalu expressed his excitement in seeing young girls showing such passion for technology. He commended DUT, Lenovo and Toyota South Africa Motors for coming up with this programme that supports girls, in the country where he feels women are still not elevated. He referred to the salaries of men and women in various organisations, stating that men still earn a lot when compared to women and that women are still discriminated against. He encouraged the students to consider DUT as their first option after matric as the university is committed to take its students into the future through digital technologies.
Mr. Werner Schoeman, Relationship Sales Manager, shared Lenovo’s commitment to the RoboGirl programme stating that they want to bridge the gender gap in the technology space. He said it is shocking that only 23% of technology jobs are held by women. He believes that coding is the language of the digital aid, a driving force behind innovation and it forces inclusivity, which addresses the gender gap.
Sharing the same sentiments was Ms. Annisha Ragoonandhan, Corporate Affairs CSR Senior Coordinator at Toyota who said their commitment to the programme demonstrates their commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion. She shared her excitement in seeing the young girls explore their potential and turn their dreams into reality.
The Project Leader from DUT, Mr. Ebrahim Asmal, Senior Information Technology Lecturer said this year, they had three objectives, which were to introduce the girls to new ways of teaching and learning, secondly, they wanted to transfer the 4IR skills to the girls by adding IoT and Artificial Intelligence to coding and robotics. Lastly, he indicated that they wanted to encourage the girls to develop an interest in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field. He indicated that they will be monitoring the girls throughout grade 12 to university where bursaries and learnerships will be offered to qualifying learners at partner companies.
Sharing the good news was Mr. Shaun Marks, Account Manager: Digital at Lenovo stated that ColabIT donated R15 000 and as Lenovo they also donated R15 000 to give towards the winners. He indicated that the top three schools will obtain R10 000 each along with prizes, since the competition was so close between them.
In conclusion, Durban University of Technology, Lenovo and Toyota SA Motors are committed to empowering the youth undertaken by RoboGirl 2023. We are also aiming that these students develop their creative ideas and take it to commercialisation. We are looking forward to hosting a bigger, better RoboGirl2024. All queries can be directed to Ebrahim Asmal at asmale@dut.ac.za.
The winners were as follows:
• Lucky Draw: Anenyasha Madyirapanze from Palmview Secondary School. Won a Canon EOSR10 camera worth R24 000.
• Best Poster Award: Verulam Islamic School
• Third prize: Palmview Secondary School. Each member received a Cannon printer, Microsoft Training, Sharp Calculator, Powerbank and R2000.
• Second Prize: Verulam Islamic School. Each member won an 8-inch Tablet, Microsoft Training, Sharp Calculator, Powerbank and R2 0000.
• First Prize was Centenary Secondary School. Each member won a 10-inch Tablet, Microsoft Training, Sharp Calculator, Powerbank and R2 000.
Pictured: The winners from the top three schools.
Simangele Zuma
