CodeNgwana provides an innovative solution to the constraints which limit uptake of digital talent opportunities by South African youth through a three-step approach:
1. Coding Lessons
which develop digital and problem-solving skills. CodeNgwana offers in-school, extracurricular and summer holiday coding lessons which can be facilitated both online and in-person. These lessons focus on teaching problem-solving and computational thinking to children ages 3-12. Less than 9% of developers are exposed to coding younger than age 10. However, research shows the importance of introducing coding concepts to children from foundational years onwards to develop their digital literacy, improve their thinking and stimulate their creativity. Importantly, the lessons utilise both plugged and unplugged methods of teaching. This ensures a holistic approach to coding as lessons are taught through activities that are both online (plugged) through the online curriculum and offline (unplugged) through puzzles and tactile developmental activities. This also limits screen time for younger children participating in the program.
2. Tailored Technology Literature
which provides a supportive foundation for future digital initiatives and opportunities. The literature is embedded within particular coding languages, specifically Scratch and Python, and is complemented by uniquely-tailored textbooks. . The literature incorporates original case studies that have been developed to ensure it is applicable to the African Child, and is available in several African languages, including isiXhosa and seTswana. The curriculum introduces appropriate technology concepts at each age level including basic computer terms, technology ABC, coding encyclopaedia and password principles.
3. Teacher Development
which ensures knowledge transfer and equips teachers with the skills required to teach the coding curriculum. University-level students with technical coding know-how or post-graduates students seeking a career in teaching IT and coding are recruited by CodeNgwana to serve as tutors. These students are onboarded to the CodeNgwana curriculum - an efficient process given their avenue of studies - and are paired with either a student teacher or a teacher at schools utilising the CodeNgwana program. Through this mechanism:
Tutors are afforded employment opportunities and gain the relevant experience in teaching, either from providing extra lessons or from training teachers who previously did not have coding expertise; andTeachers with an interest in coding receive knowledge transfer from the CodeNgwana tutors and are able to branch out into teaching coding and IT at these schools. The teacher development is also focused on enhancing online teaching, a medium of teaching which is becoming increasingly necessary. CodeNgwana equips low-fee schools, which traditionally have limited infrastructure and knowledge to teach online, with the requisite technology and skills development required to successfully teach online