The Department of Basic Education has piloted the coding and robotics curriculum over the past two years in preparation for roll-out in the 2023 academic year.
The curriculum was piloted in Grades R to 3 during 2020 and in Grades 4 to 6 during 2021. The last phase is currently underway in Grades 7 to 9 during 2022.
The formal coding and robotics curriculum forms part of the Three Streams Model which is gradually being introduced to the school curriculum and aims to provide different offerings to learners and respond to the technological skills needed in the world right now.
Deputy Chief Education Specialist in Teacher Development in KwaZulu-Natal, Betty Smith spoke at the inter-provincial meeting held in the Western Cape, describing the progress made in the pilot phases.
Smith says that teachers have been orientated for the full implementation of the curriculum in 2023. District Training teams have also undergone an orientation regarding coding and robotics.
She says that internet connectivity has been provided to the districts in KwaZulu-Natal who have received 67 internet routers.
At the meeting, the Northern Cape Education Department emphasized the need for learner participation through establishing coding and robotics clubs and competitions.
"We are going to copy the model of the science clubs to start these coding and robotics clubs." The department said.
The Department of Basic Education's Mathematics, Science and Technology team also visited the Vredekloof Primary School in the Western Cape where a teacher at the school described how classrooms were transformed to feature coding and robotics.
Certain classrooms were split via the construction of a drywall in order to accommodate a coding and robotics space, where computers and other materials needed for the curriculum were installed.
