Johnathan Paoli
SADTU Vice-President for Education, Faseega Solomon, in conjunction with founders Jean Greyling and Robyn Fick, showcased the coding and robotics workshop for disabled learners as the foundation for the Future Union Collaboration Project which seeks to expand inclusivity for learners in the country.
Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday during a workshop held at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, Solomon said when the Department of Basic Education (DBE) presented a framework of 21st century skills, Sadtu decided upon coding and robotics as an important sphere, not only for its fundamental role in the changing digital economy, but due to the taboo, ignorance and fear educators faced and felt when confronting this area of expertise.
In addition, Solomon said that this is only the beginning, that after the successful implementation of this programme, conversations would follow between the DBE and the Department of Higher Education (DHE) over institutionalising this training on a more permanent level within the curriculum of prospective teachers studying at universities and colleges.
“We know it’s not enough, but we hope to take this further and expand this training to as many teachers as possible,” Solomon said.
Tangible Africa founder Jean Greyling, said that 16 000 out of 25 000 schools do not have computer laboratories and that projects like these play a vital role in engaging the “digital divide” in the country.
For disabled learners, this problem is compounded by the high cost of translating learning material into braille, adding another dimensional challenge to their effective inclusion, he said.
In addition, Solomon said that coding and robotics as a skill development programme remains an integral part in education transformation as it teaches learners critical thinking and problem solving.
“It’s not about coding at primary school, coding is just a tool to teach kids how to solve problems, how to communicate, to strategise,” Greyling said.
Furthermore, Greyling said that the current project was aimed at what he calls low-entry training for teachers consisting of four hours of training in order to equip them with the material and skills in teaching visually impaired and blind learners.
Considering the long and arduous journey in relation to the insitutionalisation of these skills at university and college level, the short amount of time and resources needed in order to equip teachers would be advantageous in providing the tools directly into the hands of the people on the front-line of education, without the bureaucratic delays of a curriculum change, a shift that can take up to four years.
Bona uBuntu founder, Robyn Fick, praised the collaboration between unions, NGOs and government and said that this was in line with the main aim of her organisation, namely that all children with visual impairments are fully included in all levels of society.
“We want inclusion in action, we want ALL children to be included,” Fick said.
Through the use of gaming apps, Fick said that a project involving 300 learners from across PE, illustrated the manner in which children are taught inclusion.
Fick said in a competition held on 18 July this year, with a mixed group of able-bodied and visually impaired children, the abled learners did not even realise they were engaging with disabled learners.
Professor Greyling stressed the desperate need for advocacy to assist in the transformation of the way society and even teachers view education saying that union advocacy already shifted the national opinion on coding and robotics, and that advocacy in other levels such as universities and NGOs should be a priority for the unions, teachers and learners.
INSIDE EDUCATION
