2025 Brings a significant shift in the education system, with the Coding and Robotics curriculum for grades R to 9, gazetted in June 2024, now entering classrooms. It presents opportunities for skills development in this fast expanding field and new challenges for educators and learners.
“The skills that our country needs, the jobs that can grow our economy, and importantly, the avenues for entrepreneurship that are so sorely needed, can best be achieved by increasing learner access to technical and vocational subjects”, President Ramaphosa speaking at the January 2023 Education Sector Lekgotla.
The demand for digital skills and literacy has grown rapidly in most industries across South Africa, underscoring the need for learners skilled in Coding and Robotics when entering the workforce. The Department of Basic Education has piloted the Coding and Robotics curriculum in public schools, and teacher training is already underway.
This is a very positive and vital step towards futureproofing our education system. That said, much of our school system remains understaffed (according to the North West University, the system lacks around 31,000 teachers) and under-resourced (around 85% of schools are underfunded), begging the question of how teachers will a) be trained to teach Coding and Robotics, and b) how they will be able to teach this technical subject to students, especially in rural schools.
To help navigate this new educational landscape, Oxford University Press South Africa has published the Illustrated Coding and Robotics Dictionary, which includes key terms to help educators, learners, and parents or guardians demystify the language of Coding and Robotics.
Are our schools ready to teach the new curriculum?
There have been concerns about whether schools without the necessary infrastructure, such as computer laboratories, would be able to offer the subject properly. However, the Foundation Phase curriculum is focused on unplugged coding, eliminating the need for such facilities or tablets for learners. The curriculum aims to develop computational thinking, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and innovation, which are fundamental skills that could help bridge the skills gap in the country and across the continent, equipping learners with competencies for future careers in emerging tech roles.
Teaching a technical language requires that educators be trained effectively in Coding and Robotics, and ongoing professional development and support will be crucial to the success of learners studying the subject. “The technical vocabulary and abstract concepts can feel like a foreign language; terms like ‘algorithm’, ‘variable’, and ‘loop’ often overwhelm learners encountering them for the first time,” says Christo Spies, Grade 6 Educator and Coding and Robotics Subject Head at Curro Durbanville. “The difficulty lies not just in defining these terms but in helping students understand how they work together in coding.”
A deep understanding of algorithms, abstract concepts, and related principles helps learners solve problems and think creatively. This foundational knowledge provides learners with the tools to apply computational thinking (pattern recognition and decomposition) and critical thinking practically and effectively, which are essential when coding and building robots.
An analogue solution for a digital challenge
The good news is that there is a solution to support educators and parents in teaching the technical language of Coding and Robotics and helping learners understand it. The Oxford Illustrated Coding and Robotics Dictionary, published in June 2024, consists of specialist terminology from the Coding and Robotics curricula for the Foundation and Intermediate Phases and related computing terminology in everyday use.
“This resource allows students to reference unfamiliar terms, strengthening their technical vocabulary and comprehension,” says Spies, editor and co-contributor. The dictionary:
- simplifies complex ideas into digestible explanations,
- presents definitions in simple language with illustrations for better comprehension and
- contains thematic content that introduces learners to programming languages and digital concepts.
Therefore, it is the perfect complement to theoretical and practical learning at school or home. “Having the dictionary readily available boosts [learners’] confidence in understanding and applying coding concepts.”
The introduction of Coding and Robotics in South African public schools is necessary to equip our youth with the digital skills and proficiency already required in most industries and sectors. Educators, as well as parents or guardians, can play a crucial role in fostering the digital proficiency of learners by educating and familiarising themselves with the language of Coding and Robotics through resources such as the Oxford Illustrated Coding and Robotics Dictionary and online platforms like Resolute Education’s Code the Nation.
It is an investment in learners’ lives and the country’s digital economy.