Cobre Panama presents its “Robotics for Social Mobility” Program

– This program will benefit 61 schools, 191 teachers and 3,230 students in the communities of Donoso and Omar Torrijos, in the province of Colón.

Panama, August 9, 2023 – In the framework of the celebration of the World Robotics Olympiad 2023, to be held in Panama in November of this year, the Foundation for the Development of STEAM (FUNDESTEAM) and Cobre Panama, presented the “Robotics for Social Mobility” Program, which will benefit a total of 61 schools with social vulnerability in the districts of Donoso and General Omar Torrijos, in the province of Colon, for 4 years.

The Program consists of the delivery of robotics kits, training of teachers and students, as well as raising awareness of the educational communities (local authorities and parents), for the participation of students in the teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, through the STEAM methodology and their participation in the development of projects that seek to provide solutions to the problems of their communities, through educational innovation.

According to Marvin Castillo, president of the FUNDESTEAM Foundation, “Today we are kicking off the “Robotics for Social Mobility” program, which is aimed at supporting schools in the communities neighboring the mine. Cobre Panama, focused on improving education, will promote through this program, in children and young people, the application of technology to solve problems and prepare them for an increasingly technological world, in addition to providing a diploma course for teachers and strengthening robotics clubs”.

From this year until 2026, the 61 educational centers will receive: 80 robotics kits so that they can set up an educational Robotics Club and develop automation and innovation projects.

For Alberto Casas, Community Affairs Director of Cobre Panama, “The most important thing about this alliance with FUNDESTEAM is to be able to reach very remote schools and give these children these robotics kits, a very simple tool that will allow students to learn new skills for analysis and problem solving”.

As part of the Program, 191 teachers will be trained in the STEAM Education Diploma with a focus on robotics olympics, organized by FUNDESTEAM and the Ministry of Education, in order to achieve specialized training in Programming and Robotics.

Professor Yoriela Rodríguez de Aguilar, Coordinator of the National Curriculum Directorate of the Ministry of Education for the Province of Colón, indicated that “The STEAM method, which promotes among students the study of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, is innovative and contributes to the transformation of children’s education. These kits will allow them to carry out projects that will contribute to the development of other competencies and complement their comprehensive education”.

The Program aims to train 3,230 students in the STEAM methodology, encouraging their participation in Local, Regional and World Robotics Olympiads and that the best graduating students and finalists can access university scholarships through the FUNDESTEAM Scholarship at universities such as the Universidad Latina, the Universidad Interamericana de Panamá and the Instituto Técnico Superior Especializado (ITSE).