A project to launch the Maghreb Educational Robotics Championship

Ayyash Senoussi - Algeria

Experts from Android Algeria and Tunisia met on Thursday (December 27th) in Setif to discuss coordination of efforts, the unification of educational robotics programs in both countries and the launch of the Maghreb championship in competence.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the international forum organized by the Algerian educational robot system on Thursday and Friday, 27 and 28 of the month in Setif (300 km east of Algeria) on "Children and Technology" with the participation of experts and specialists in different fields of Algeria, France and Kuwait.

"The meeting with our brothers from Tunisia was an opportunity to learn about their experience, which is a bit advanced from our experience in the field of robotics, as well as the difficulties in their work, which are the same," explained the director of the Algerian educational robot system Fouad Lemouchi.

"We have also exchanged views on how to coordinate and cooperate in the field and discuss the possibility of launching the Magharebia Robotics Educational Championships as an opportunity for robot talent in the three Maghreb countries (Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco) to reveal their talent and prove their worth."

He pointed out that the next step will be to go to Morocco to find out the advanced experience of the robotics educational system. "Then efforts will be coordinated to launch the Maghreb championship as soon as possible, not later than next summer, God willing, followed by an international championship for educational robot in Algeria within the next five years."

Experience, academia and Olympics
For his part, Atef Ben Bakri, co-founder of the Tunisian Robotics Lab, said: "Organizing an educational robotics tournament between the three Maghreb countries is a very important idea and deserves to be made in order to achieve the goal of empowering children between 5 and 16 years of age to highlight and develop their talents through Friction with their peers from other countries. "

He pointed out that the presence of the city of Setif "was for this purpose as well as to find out the pros and cons of the Algerian experience in the field of educational robot, which is not very different from the counterpart in our country.

"The Tunisian experience in the field of robotics began in 2017 through the Robotic Junior Laboratory and succeeded so far in establishing two academies in Beni Khlad and Qulibiya in Nabeul. It enabled about 200 children between 8 and 16 years of age from this very advanced educational type , As well as to participate strongly in the World Robot Olympics in Thailand in 2018. "

He pointed out that his experience in the field revealed "the existence of creative energies and talents that need only the framing and updating of information in the four areas on which the Robotic activity, which is known as the" STEM "group: science, technology, engineering, mathematics and integration.