Ahead of Africa Code Week 2017, which will take place throughout the continent in late October, hundreds of teachers in Zambia have learned basic coding skills.
Thanks to a partnership between Africa Code Week and software development group SAP, over 350 teachers in Zambia now have a basic level understanding of how to code, according to CajNewsAfrica.
The teachers were given the training through Train-the-Trainer sessions held at Lusaka International Community School, learning to code with Scratch, a free interactive coding language that was developed by the MIT Media Lab.
Launched in 2015, the SAP Africa Code Week will take place for a third time in October, with the aim of empowering 500,000 young African boys and girls with coding skills through playful learning methods that inspire enjoyment and creativity.
Ahead of the week-long October event, Africa Code Week has been traveling from country to country to train teachers basic coding skills so that they are able to pass on those skills to their students.
Claire Gillissen-Duval, the director of EMEA Corporate Social Responsibility at SAP and Africa Code Week global lead explained the importance of the basic coding training in the grand scheme of what Africa Code Week is trying to achieve.
“There is no transformation of education through ICT without proper training of teachers first; hence the importance of the Train-the-Trainer sessions organised every year in most participating countries,” said Gillissen-Duval, according to ITNewsAfrica.
“This is where the transfer of skills and knowledge takes place as SAP skilled volunteers equip teachers with the teaching materials they need to make coding a daily reality in the classroom,” she added.
“Throughout the weekend, Zambian teachers showcased sheer determination and commitment in supporting our efforts to bridge the digital divide and empower younger generations with job-relevant coding skills,” Gillissen-Duval said.
Charles Mwanza is the CEO of Hackers Guild, one of the implementing partners of Africa Code Week 2017 in the country, and he believes that the week worth of training in programming will benefit the students beyond their ability to write basic code.
“Africa Code Week is teaching more than coding: it is encouraging young people to ‘think like coders’, for more and more coders will be needed to overcome society’s most pressing, increasingly complex challenges,” Mwanza said, according to TechTrends.
“Africa Code Week is a fantastic opportunity for Zambia’s youth to learn the skills they need to thrive in the global knowledge economy,” he added.
With support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Youth Mobile initiative, along with hundreds of public and private partners in Africa, last year’s events provided valuable basic code training to 426,000 youngsters across 30 countries over a nine-day period, according to IT-Online.
In an effort to further improve on last year’s targets, Africa Code Week 2017 will be held across 35 African countries between October 18-25.
