«Robotics and programming are not only interesting to me, but those are applicable in all the areas of life», – says Adam Adibekyan, a student of “Armath” engineering laboratory of secondary school after H. Barseghyan in a border Voskepar village of Tavush region, to the supporters of the project from Ucom and Union of the Information Technology Enterprises (UITE).
The children studying in a border Voskepar village of Tavush region and acquiring engineering and programming skills in this laboratory, are mainly 6th-7th grade pupils, who try to apply their knowledge of algebra, geometry and physics. These children try to perform the computer modelling, printing of different items, programme games, create animations.
The lab has aroused great interest not only in boys, but in girls as well.
«In just one year that I attend this class I have learned to work with Scratch program and wrote a number of games», – says Irina Nasibyan, a student of the same laboratory.
«It’s true that I want to become a doctor, but the knowledge I’d take from here will come useful in the future. We basically program games and at the moment we got a competitive task to animate the “Happy Hut” by Ghazaros Aghayan», – says Tigran Aghbalyan, a student of the “Armath” engineering laboratory in Voskepar.
«Our company attaches great importance to the involvement of children from regions and particularly from the border villages in the educational programs of “Armath” engineering laboratory. The scarcity of pupils here allows choosing the bests from the best and getting the result, which might be used in military industry», – said Hayk Yesayan, Director General at «Ucom».
Let us note, that according to the Memorandum of Cooperation signed between the Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE) and Ucom, the latter invests to open around 70 more engineering club-laboratories named “Armath” in 9 regions of Armenia. Hayk Yesayan, the Director General at “Ucom”, visits the existing “Armath” labs on a regular basis, meets their students, gets acquainted with the their achievements and follows up the progress.
The educational curriculum of “Armath” engineering laboratories aims to promote the technological education in all schools of the Armenian communities, to assist pupils in their early interest emergence in modern high technology, to promote the development of engineering mindset from early ages and to prepare competent students.
The project enables practical support for the integration of qualified IT-specialists into the Armenian and world markets, the exchange of the experience between them, and the attraction of large-scale investments into the IT-industry. It is noteworthy, that the software and assembly drawings of the labs-developed equipment are open to public. The computer programs and systems are “armenianized” to the extension possible, while during the project implementation for the acquisition of the equipment and software, the priority is given to the local producers, the bright example of which serve the high-quality three-dimensional (3D) printers, mini-computers, robotics kits and other devices produced in Armenia.
