Tech in Africa
South Africa’s government is about to draft a coding and robotics curriculum that is yet to be gazetted. This was revealed by President Cyril Ramaphosa while speaking at the 2021 Basic Education Sector Lekgotla under the theme of “Equipping learners with knowledge and skills for a changing world”.
He gave an announcement that the department of basic education would make headway with a national rollout in robotics and coding. Such subjects would assist pupils to align their skills and knowledge with that of a dynamic world.
This 2021, 200 schools will pilot the new programme, starting from grades R to 3 while another 1000 will pilot the grade 7 curriculum. Generally, the focus of the new schools shouldn’t come at the expense of reading and comprehension skills. The president believes the country needs to invest more in early childhood development, as a foundation for cognitive development, hence the need to create a policy where it lacks. He further advocated for private-public partnerships to mobilize resources required by students.
Among the knowledge and skills required are intelligence, emotional stability, and a safe environment for learners. Schools must teach the necessary skills that help in economic growth and financial inclusion. The president acknowledged that the country had lacked behind in producing the required information technology of the future, a situation he hoped to redress.
