Senator Professor Emeritus the Honourable Prakash Persad, Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training, was the featured speaker at the National Institute of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (NIHERST)’s FIRST Tech Challenge Competition, held on Saturday 27th June, 2026.

The competition brought together talented secondary school students from across Trinidad and Tobago to design, build and programme robots to compete in a series of exciting engineering and innovation challenges, showcasing the creativity, ingenuity and technical skills of the nation’s future innovators.

In his address, Minister Persad underscored the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, innovation and robotics in preparing young people with the skills needed to thrive in an increasingly technology-driven world. He also reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to expanding opportunities that inspire creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving among the nation’s youth.

The event was made possible through the support of title sponsor Shell Trinidad and Tobago and brought together key stakeholders committed to advancing STEM education. Also in attendance were Minister of Education, Dr. the Honourable Michael Dowlath, members of the NIHERST Board of Governors, NIHERST officials, educators, industry partners, mentors, volunteers, parents and students.

The Ministry extends sincere congratulations to NIHERST, Shell Trinidad and Tobago, the participating schools, sponsors, mentors, volunteers and students for making this inaugural competition a resounding success and for helping to inspire and develop the next generation of scientists, engineers and innovators.

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