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Hearing-impaired students make waves at robotics competition in Ghana
In the quiet town of Kibi, located in the Eastern Region of Ghana, students from the Kibi School for the Deaf have embraced science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education, becoming mentors for change in their community.
In the bustling atmosphere of a robotics competition stood two hearing-impaired students, Mawuli Nutsugah aged 17 and Thomas Djabatey aged 20 on a mission of innovation to make education accessible to their community.
The distinctive tech enthusiasts, Mawuli and Thomas led their school to the crowning point of the competition as they emerged as 1st runner-up of the Robotics Competition (AIRTAD), an annual competition held on February 28 in Accra between schools both at the junior and senior high school levels.
The journey began with a shared desire to bridge the gap between deaf students and conventional educational materials. Recognising the struggles faced by their peers in connecting elements to atomic numbers, Mawuli and Thomas spearheaded a project to create a smart periodic table of elements.
Their "Smart Periodic Table" project is a fusion of education, sustainability, and technology. Crafted from wood and powered by batteries, it serves the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 and 9, promoting inclusive and quality education as well as innovation.
With its connected wires, users can easily put the metal tip of the wire on an atomic number and the board will generate information about its element, likewise metals, metalloids and non-metals.
Mawuli who has a hearing challenge told GSW in a conversation mediated by an interpreter trained in Ghanaian Sign Language (GSL) that coming second in the competition was a great feat for them.
“When you look at where we come from and where we are now, it is sometimes difficult to believe the changes in our life. Today we have the opportunity to learn information technology, science and robotics at no cost to us. This makes me feel that my future is secured and I can contribute to the betterment of society,” she said.
Mawuli was not born as a hearing impaired. According to the 17-year-old, she was informed by her father as she grew older that she became deaf after being sent to the hospital for an unknown illness.
Unlike Mawuli, Thomas who was born with a hearing impairment also told GSW that he has benefitted from the programme immensely and has enabled him to build a robot by himself through his lab visits.
“The deaf students were having a challenge connecting the elements to their atomic numbers. So it led to their lack of interest in the subjects and they thought of really, I mean, developing something that will help them to learn about the elements and atomic numbers,” Thomas told GSW the inspiration behind their project.
To inspire others in similar circumstances to persevere and find hope in robotics engineering, Mawuli aspires to become a mentor. However, Thomas is interested in learning more about programming and computers so that he can operate robots.
The Annual Impact Roundtable and Discussion and Robotics Competition (AIRTAD) is organized by Implementers under the Yamoransa Model Labs programme. The project was established in 2018 with the vision to make STEAM education accessible and easier for Ghanaian youth in underserved communities by building modern science, ICT, and engineering labs in the country. In 2023 alone, over 35,000 children had access to the programme across the West African nation.
