Together with KHK, we will support innovation in education. High school students in Vrchlabí are already testing a new robot!
On 9 January, on the occasion of the 124th anniversary of the birth of Karel Čapek, who, together with his brother Josef, is behind the word robot, we signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Hradec Králové Region. The aim is to foster innovation in education and respond to the increasing dynamics of technological development. In the Rychnov and Vrchlabí regions, we will jointly help with the acquisition of new technologies and motivation of pupils, and we will intensify the connection between schools and businesses in the region. The first step is the acquisition of a collaborative hi-tech robot for the pupils of the Vrchlabí grammar school. On the occasion of the signing of the memorandum, they introduced the robot and demonstrated what they had already learned to program.
"We appreciate the cooperation with regional partners from the business sector and we believe that the conclusion of the memorandum will bring benefits not only to our pupils and students, but also to the entire region. New technologies enable better education, innovation and competitiveness. We are happy to support initiatives that help to introduce them into schools and bring new opportunities and challenges. Young people will be much better prepared for their future professions, and cooperation with companies in the region can encourage them to stay and work in our region after their studies, and thus participate in its development," emphasized Governor Martin Červíček.
Competitiveness starts with education, and this is doubly true at a time of rapid development in the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics and information systems. The dynamics that technological and subsequent economic changes have gained in recent years thus present the Czech education system with unprecedented challenges, and schools in the Rychnov and Vrchlabí regions are no exception.
The recently signed memorandum between the Hradec Králové Region and the NFŠA is intended to help accelerate the transformation and transformation of the regional economy, bring more funds to education for innovation and the purchase of equipment, and support wider sharing of know-how among businesses, schools and innovation centres. In order to use the invested human and financial resources as effectively as possible, one of the tools for implementing the objectives of the memorandum is also intensive work with data.
"When I visit schools in the regions where we operate, I am always amazed by the enormous energy, enthusiasm and desire to develop that young people exude. However, in order for them to be able to fully exploit this potential and transfer it outside the school environment, we must create appropriate conditions for pupils and students. I am therefore glad that we have managed to establish cooperation with the Hradec Králové Region in this area and I believe that together with other regional partners from the business and education spheres, who are financially participating in the acquisition of the robot in Vrchlabí, we will be able to help the regions on their way to the future. There is no need to wait, because this future is already here in many aspects. In addition, this project is unique in the Czech Republic, as the robot is not traditionally aimed at a technical school, but should support interdisciplinary learning at a grammar school," says Ladislav Kučera, director of the NFŠA, on the signing of the memorandum.
Yes, the future has already arrived, at least at the Krkonoše Grammar School in Vrchlabí. In December last year, a new collaborative robot GoFa, from ABB, appeared here. The technical creativity supporting the hi-tech instrument was given the name EDGAR by the pupils and aroused real enthusiasm, the echoes of which can be heard even outside the school desks. In this way, it fulfils the spirit of the joint memorandum of the region and the fund – to create a stimulating environment so that pupils begin to show interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics outside the school environment. The robot, which is now available at the Krkonoše Grammar School, will not only serve the locals, but will gradually be used by the wider school community, such as other regional schools or leisure clubs.
The project should thus strengthen cooperation between educational institutions. Last but not least, it represents another step towards the Vrchlabí 4.0 vision, which provides the town in the Krkonoše foothills with a framework for gradual transformation into a centre of innovation and education.
And why EDGAR? You can find out on Facebook.