More than 300 local teachers and parents showed their support at Mbabane’s Royal Science and Technology Park to learn 21st century skills in the run-up to Africa Code Week (ACW) 2018 which will be taking place in October in Madagascar
The event will be providing learners from 8-16 years of age the opportunity to write their first lines of code, learn computational thinking and explore enabling technologies.
eSwatini’s Train the Trainer (TTT) series took place over two days and provided hands-on learning in coding and digital skills using the open-source Scratch learning interface.
Karolina Telejko, director of EMEA corporate social responsibility at SAP and project lead for Africa Code Week, said, “ACW TTTs are designed to make teachers’ life easier as they introduce digital skills in the classroom. Over the next four months our expert volunteers will travel far and wide to empower teachers with skills and teaching materials that will enable them to integrate digital learning into the school curriculum.”
ACW live workshops aim to reach more than 600 000 youth across 36 African countries with a major focus on community empowerment and female skills development.
The SAP-led programme continues to grow in popularity across the continent due to a fast-growing network of schools, supporting governments, private sector partners, non-profits and local communities working together to unite against the digital and gender skills gap.
“Communications Deputy Minister Pinky Kekana’s announcement in June that basic coding will be introduced into the South African formal education system point to an opportune time for Africa Code Week to bring its vision to life,” added Telejko.
