MILLICENT HUNGWE
MASVINGO CITY-Victoria Government Primary School’s participation at the prestigious World Robot Olympiad (WRO) International Finals, scheduled for 26–28 November 2025 in Singapore hangs in the balance due to financial constraints.
The three Victoria Grade 7 students who are supposed to go to Singapore are Darrel Kasinamunhu, Tinotenda Ngwenya, and Ayanda Mukakati.
Victoria Primary head Dr. Rameck Mashuro said, “We have reached out to all stakeholders, banks, and educational offices. Unfortunately, no sponsorship has been secured yet.
“We are now appealing to the community, well-wishers, and corporate sponsors to help us give these bright young minds the chance to showcase Zimbabwean talent on a global stage.”
According to the executive director of Girls in Stem Trust, Victoria Nxumalo, the estimated cost per person is USD3,453.
“Girls in STEM will cover half the cost per child – that’s $1,726.50 per student, the remaining amount, totaling 5,179.50 for all three, must be sourced by the parents and the school,” she explained.
In addition, the school will cover the cost for the accompanying matron, bringing the total amount needed to 8,632.50 as one matron is needed per team.
The Midweek Watch confirmed that the development follows a remarkable journey through the provincial and national levels of the competition, where the school emerged as one of only two primary schools in the country to qualify for the Internationals.
The WRO challenges teams to engage in programming, science, and innovation over three days. Each team consists of three students, taking up roles in coding, hardware, and marketing research.
Together, they develop a working prototype to solve a real-life problem using robotics and innovation.
The team is scheduled to travel between 24th and 29th November 2025.
Donations and sponsorships are urgently needed to make this dream a reality.
“We just want the kids to go, as they have excelled and were nominated from the whole country, we pray they find sponsorship,” said Nxumalo.
One parent who spoke on condition of anonymity said the begging bowl should have been extended the day the school knew about the requirements of the important trip.
She also added that the fact companies like conglomerate Econet are involved, it boggles the mind why such a small figure cannot be raised.
