Give it to South Africa. Unlike Rwanda that recently introduced the first public coding academy which only a few students may ever get a chance to attend, South Africa is going the extra mile to making it compulsory for coding and robotics to be taught in all primary and high schools across the country. This will, of course, take off in 2020, when a new curriculum comes into effect. This appears to be a major first in Africa.

Here Are Things You Need To Know

• South Africa’s Department of Basic Education is currently updating its curriculum to ensure that the children coming from the South African education systems are equipped with the skills that will ensure they are ready to either become tech entrepreneurs or enter the workforce from day 1 of graduating from high school. This is according to Tourism minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane who was presenting at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the United Nations recently.

“(The) South African government has developed Coding and Robotics curricula Grade R-3 and will complete Grade 4 to 9 before the end of 2019,” she said.

“This curricula will provide learners with understanding and will develop their skills and competencies to prepare them for the 4th Industrial Revolution. The curricula will ensure that our schooling system produces learners with the foundation for future work and equip them with skills for the changing world.”

Here Is The What Is Intended by The South African Government

 The coding curriculum is aimed at developing learners’ ability to:

• Solve problems, think critically and work collaboratively and creatively;
• Function in a digital and information-driven world;
• Apply digital and ICT skills;
• Transfer these skills to solve everyday problems. 

“Using University of South Africa’s (UNISA’s) 24 ICT Laboratories located throughout the country, 72,000 teachers will be trained to teach coding to primary school learners,” Kubayi-Ngubane said.

“We will do this in partnership with civil society, academic institutions and businesses such as Africa Teen Geeks and international players like MIT.”

To make this happen, South Africa’s Department of Education has already developed a framework for ‘teaching and learning of coding’.

“Coding requires a dedicated platform and the Department with the assistance of Google and other Big Businesses through Africa Teen Geeks are developing a coding platform that will utilise Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to customise learning and teaching.

“This Coding platform will be available in all 11 official languages ensuring that rural and township children will be introduced to coding in their own mother tongue in line with this government mission to provide an inclusive education accessible to all,” she said.

Kubayi-Ngubane said that the Department will pilot the coding curriculum in 2020.

“Throughout this year we are preparing the system to ensure that the schools are ready for full implementation post 2020. Each township and rural school in the country will be appropriately resourced to ensure creation of an enabling environment,” she said.

 South Africa Is Setting A Big Example For Other African Countries

Take it or leave, the era of technological disruption has come to stay. Forward-thinking countries are shooting their shots early. For example, computer programming will become a mandatory subject in Japan’s elementary schools from April 2020, as the country seeks to train a new generation in highly sought information technology skills.

The basics of coding will be taught starting in the fifth grade. New textbooks approved by the education ministry on March 26 task students with digitally drawing polygons and making LED lights blink using simple commands, for example.

South Korea began working the subject more heavily into elementary and middle school curricula in a 2007 review of its educational system.

In 2014, the U.K. introduced programming into mandatory education for students aged 5 to 16

With the growing influence of technology, expect it to take priority over basic analytical subjects such as maths in no due time.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based Lawyer with special focus on Business Law, Intellectual Property Rights, Entertainment and Technology Law. He is also an award-winning writer. Working for notable organizations so far has exposed him to some of industry best practices in business, finance strategies, law, dispute resolution, and data analytics both in Nigeria and across the world.

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