De Castro Salutes SVG Robotics Team
Minister for Education Sharie de Castro has congratulated the St. Vincent and the Grenadines robotics team for securing 13th place globally at the FIRST Global Challenge in South Korea. The Vincentian students finished as the highest-ranked Caribbean delegation in the international competition. Minister de Castro celebrated their resilience and called for expanded regional support for STEM and robotics education.
Minister for Education, Youth Affairs and Sports Sharie de Castro has extended congratulations and regional solidarity to the St. Vincent and the Grenadines robotics team following their historic showing at the FIRST Global Challenge. Team SVG Robotics finished 13th globally out of more than 180 national delegations at the prestigious international competition held in Incheon, South Korea.
Earning a ranking score of 274.3 across 11 competitive matches, the Vincentian students emerged as the highest-ranked Caribbean nation and advanced directly into the FIRST Global playoffs. Praising the students' remarkable performance, Minister de Castro highlighted the tenacity and talent of Caribbean youth competing on the world stage.
She celebrated their achievement by invoking the well-known Caribbean expression, declaring that the team proved they are small but tallawah, signifying great strength and capability despite modest size. Minister de Castro commended the students for reaching the playoffs against fierce global competition, calling it a major milestone for small island developing states.
She emphasized that the achievement serves as a source of pride for the entire Caribbean community and proves what young people can accomplish when given access to tools, training, and mentorship. The minister also used the opportunity to advocate for greater commitment to science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics education across the region.
She underscored the necessity of fostering innovation, creativity, and robotics programmes throughout Caribbean territories as small island developing states continue building capacity in modern fields. The FIRST Global Challenge is an annual international robotics competition designed to inspire youth and promote STEM engagement worldwide.
As the Virgin Islands continues its own focus on educational advancement and technology integration across local classrooms, regional accomplishments like Team SVG's performance illustrate the immense potential of Caribbean youth in emerging global industries.
Primary source: VINO