South African Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga announced on Wednesday that the department has put the final touches to the new coding and robotics curriculum for Grades R to 9.

The minister made the announcement during the department’s 2020/2021 adjusted budget vote.

“The DBE (Department of Basic Education) has developed the coding and robotics curriculum for Grades R to 9, which is currently being repackaged to ensure proper sequencing and seamless progression from one phase to the next,” said Motshekga.

“We are planning that the repackaging process will be completed by the end of July 2020.”

The curriculum will make its way to Umalusi, the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training in Pretoria, for approval.

Upon approval by the council, teachers and subject advisers will receive online training for the new curriculum, for which the department has set aside a budget of R7-million.

Motshekga added that automotive will be offered as a subject at technical schools.

This was made possible through a partnership forged with the Ford Motor Company, which intends to donate 240 engines towards the initiative. 

According to a report by Research and Markets, the motor vehicle industry is the largest manufacturer in the South African economy, accounting for 29.9% of the country’s manufacturing output, while the industry itself contributes a total of 6.9% towards gross domestic product (GDP). 

“In our efforts to provide every school with ICT (information and communications technology) devices loaded with digital content, the DBE, in partnership with mobile network operators, has completed the audit of all 477 special schools. 

“We have also finalised the implementation plan with the mobile network operators to provide all these schools with devices, connectivity, digital content, as well as ICT integration training for teachers,” said Motshekga.