Education

Barbados Cops Three Medals In Caribbean STEM Olympiads

Barbados won gold, silver, and bronze in different categories of the recently concluded Caribbean STEM Olympiads, hosted virtually by the Caribbean Science Foundation (CSF) from January 17 to 21.

Team Psi-Kicks, comprising UWI Cave Hill students Simeon Green, Ian Francis and Tyreke Jones, copped the gold medal in the Math Olympiad Level 3 event. Kolij Robotics Club, consisting of Jovani Gittens, Nathan Nicholls, Tykairi Sargeant and Maliqua Cherubin of Harrison College, won the silver medal in the Robotics Olympiad Level 2 with their Plant Care Robot. The Random Walk team of Aian Deane-Warner and Nalani Chassang from Queen’s College took the bronze in the Math Olympiad Level 2 event.

A total of 131 students from 11 Caribbean countries registered for the 2024 Olympiads. After the preliminary rounds, 39 teams (83 students) made it to the finals. There were 47 finalists in the Math Olympiad, 22 in the Computer Coding Olympiad, and 14 in the Robotics Olympiad. Medal certificates and cash prizes of US $500, $400, $300 and $200 were awarded to the teams winning platinum, gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively.

Interim Executive Director of the CSF, Professor Cardinal Warde, stated: “The STEM outlook for the region is very positive. This year we raised the bar a little higher than it was in the inaugural year (2023) for the Math Olympiad, and I was again impressed by the performance of the medallists.

“To further raise the bar for our robotics and coding efforts, starting in April of 2024, the CSF will offer coaching sessions for interested robotics and coding teams to help them prepare for our 2025 Robotics and Computer Coding Olympiads.”

In these Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Olympiads, individuals and teams representing educational institutions, clubs, or themselves competed in the Math Olympiad, Computer Coding Olympiad, and Robotics Olympiad at three different age levels -12 to 15, 16 to 18, and 19 to 21.

The Math Olympiad was held in a Jeopardy-style format and covered topics ranging from consumer arithmetic to vector calculus. The Computer Coding Olympiad tasked applicants to create apps, games, and websites aimed at solving a challenge faced by Caribbean communities.

The challenges tackled by teams in the 2024 Olympiads included geohazards and climate change, inter and intra country transportation, public health, non-communicable diseases, crime, and money movement and financial education. The Robotics Olympiad tasked applicants with building innovative robots from kits at Level 1, and complex robots starting from scratch with a set of random parts at Level 3.

Jamaica led the medal count with eight medals, followed by Antigua and Barbuda with six, Belize with four, Barbados with three, Saint Lucia with two, and Grenada, Guyana, Saint Kitts & Nevis and Trinidad &Tobago with one medal each. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Team “Psi-Kicks” consisting of Simeon Green, Ian Francis and Tyreke Jones of the UWI, earned the gold medal in the Math Level 3 Olympiad

Education

Immigration Webinar For Students Wishing To Study In Canada

Barbadians interested in pursuing studies in Canada are invited to participate in the online Immigration Seminar of the Consulate General of Barbados, in Toronto.

The Consulate, as part of its annual activities to observe National Heroes Day, is hosting a week of activities, and the key event will be the Immigration Seminar tomorrow Thursday, April 24, at 6:00 p.m.

Over the past 12 months, there have been significant changes to the requirements and processes for obtaining an international student visa. As a result, the seminar will focus on the recent changes to the entry requirements for international students coming to Canada to pursue undergraduate or postgraduate studies.

Prospective students, as well as parents, guardians, guidance counsellors, school teachers and principals, who have a vested interest in obtaining the most up-to-date and accurate information to make the most informed choice from the available study options, are encouraged to participate in the online seminar.

Alana Alleyne, a barrister and solicitor, will cover areas such as the latest changes to international student visas, eligibility criteria for student visas, requirements for postgraduate work permits, and changes to eligibility for spousal work permits. (PR/GIS)

Education

Information Session For Teachers Keen On Working In USA

Primary school teachers interested in working in the United States of America (USA) are invited to an upcoming Information Session, tomorrow Thursday, April 24.

The session will be hosted in the Main Conference Room of the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Third Sector, Warrens Office Complex, Warrens, St. Michael, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The initiative is being facilitated by the Ministry, in partnership with the Barbados Employment and Career Counselling Service, the Barbados Union of Teachers, and Participate Learning, a USA recruitment firm.

During the event, Participate Learning will share important information on the application and recruitment processes, as well as on working in the USA. (PR/GIS)

Education

Ellerslie Students Welcomed At Barbados’ Embassy In Panama

The Embassy of Barbados in the Republic of Panama was pleased to welcome The Ellerslie School students and staff to its Chancery in Panama City, recently.

Chargé d’Affaires, Sandra Gittens, in her welcome to the group, which included Principal, Andrea Baptiste and Deputy Principal, Carl Applewhaite, shared the history of the mission, noting that the Embassy was established in 2020.

Mrs. Gittens said this was “in line with the Barbados Government’s desire to strengthen its relations and cooperation with Panama across a number of areas, including trade, investment, tourism and education”.

She expressed the hope that the visit would signal the start of a new relationship with The Ellerslie School in pursuit of future student-to-student and teacher-to-teacher exchanges, in collaboration with the Ministries of Educational Transformation and Training and Tertiary Education and its Panamanian counterpart, within the framework of the memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries.

Speaking on the value of learning a foreign language, First Secretary, Shireifa Joseph, spoke of her experience as a foreign language student and the positive impact that it has had on her career.

She encouraged the students to continue their foreign language journey, signalling that they were well on their way to becoming “bridge builders” in their future careers with the capacity to connect Barbados to other countries across the globe.

Counsellor at the Embassy, Michelle Carter, also noted the value of language learning, especially for those studying tourism, stating that developing a strong proficiency in a foreign language will serve as a critical tool in opening doors to their success in this sector, whether in Barbados or abroad. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Students, teachers and parents of the Ellerslie secondary school to the Embassy of Barbados in the Republic of Panama