Just the name gives one a sense of excitement especially those of us who grew up on Star Wars and Start Trek or even Battleship Galactica.

Yet for many of us, the idea of being able to study this field at school was far from our minds. Today, however, for students of Combermere School this is not just a dream but a very present reality.

What is Robotics, and how does it fit into the curriculum of the school? 

Driving this programme is a young and dynamic teacher, Matthew Douglas, who is excited to share his knowledge and passion for electronics with students. He was quick to explain that robotics is a multi-disciplinary programme with several components; it is not a core subject in itself, rather, it is a subset of an electronics programme offered at the CSEC and CAPE levels, which includes Coding and Design, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality 

How did this come to be?  In 2006 an animated conversation between Mr. Douglas and the then Principal Mr. Vere Parris, led to the vision of this programme and its introduction at Combermere.  Mr. Parris had a dream for Combermere to forge the way in electronics, robotics and medical electronics, and to become the leading institution in Mechanical Technology and Electronics at an advanced level. Hence, his vision combined with Mr Douglas’ knowledge and experience – not to mention his passion – laid the foundation for what has proven to be a successful initiative.  

The initial class was small and met in a small room, originally set aside for storage. Several challenges were encountered and resistance to the programme was rife, yet Mr. Douglas was encouraged to stay the course.

The greatest challenge then and now is the lack of a home for the electronics unit. While other specialised subjects such as Chemistry, Food & Nutrition and Technical Drawing have assigned labs, there is no lab allocated to this cohort.  This, however, has not daunted their zeal to succeed but hampers their ability to design in a lab setting and be more productive.

In 2017, an invitation from First Robotics Competition presented an opportunity for the students to travel to Washington, D.C. where they participated and witnessed innovative designs and met other innovators and robotics students from around the world. 

This, Mr. Douglas notes, was a new turning point for students. They not only represented their school but also their country and did so admirably. 

Over the years, there has been a steady increase in students, primarily males, showing interest in pursuing this subject. Notably, there has been repeated success with each year group; some achieving Merit at the level of CAPE.

In this demanding programme, students are expected to read and do their research and also have the opportunity to conceptualise and implement a robotic design.  In fact, this last group of students was able to design a robot for COVID-19, however, due to several restrictions and lockdown periods, were unable to complete the project.

Last year, there was a 100% pass rate of which eight students were successful in attaining CSEC Grade Ones, while all others earned Grade Twos.  Additionally, six students at the CAPE level excelled in their exams and gained Merit in Robotics and Advanced Electronics, which placed them as the top students in the country and among the best results (top 10) for the Caribbean.  

Mr. Douglas is thrilled and lauds the hard work of the students.  He is excited for the future and sees Combermere as being the first school to be involved in manufacturing at a local, regional and even global level.  Essential to achieving this feat would be a lab for the Electronics division of the school.

If Mr. Douglas’ dream is realised, it will signal another pioneering feat for Combermere which led the way in preparing students with disabilities, including former President of the Senate Kerry-Ann Ifill and the late outstanding accountant Kregg Nurse, to excel and make their mark in the professional milieu of Barbados.

Students with an apparatus they created