School children in Gaza City are getting lessons from a locally-made hi-tech educational robot

Palestinian students interact with a locally-made educational robot during a science class at a private school in Gaza City - Copyright AFP

By Marie Lecoq & AFP

Published on 03/12/2021 - 17:54

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The bot assistant is the “first of its kind” in the Palestinian enclave which has been under blockade since 2007.

School children at a private school in Gaza City are getting lessons from a hi-tech educational robot.

The locally-made machine, named “Mr Robot,” helps the children memorise lessons and teaches them about electric circuits at the city’s Al-Basma private school.

"The idea of introducing Mr Robot into the educational system was aimed at promoting the principle of innovation and keeping up to date with development in all areas within the educational system," Hassan al-Razi, the school’s science teacher, explained.

"Mr Robot, as his name suggests, is the teacher's assistant and not his replacement,” he added.

Local engineers say the robot is the "first of its kind" in the Palestinian enclave where electrical tools and components are "scarce," offering a valuable addition to the school's educational system.

While the students were a bit surprised at first with their new classmate, “it was like a dream come true for them” and they soon started interacting with him “as if they were friends,” All-Razi said.