AS researchers with combined expertise in teaching computer programming and curriculum development, it’s clear to us that this curriculum is about computer programming, despite the fact that the province only uses the term “coding.” Coding is a most basic aspect of learning programming.

Ontario’s decision is in line with those taken by Nova Scotia and British Columbia, which were the first and only Canadian provinces to make learning computer programming compulsory at the primary and secondary levels in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

In the rest of the world, many governments have also made this change, such as Estonia as early as 2012, the United Kingdom in 2014, and South Korea in 2017.

But what are the arguments put forward to motivate the integration of computer science, and more specifically computer programming, into the school curriculum of students? Research highlights three main arguments on this subject that will be discussed in this article.

The lead author of this story, Hugo, is a researcher at the UNESCO Chair in Curriculum Development and a lecturer in the Department of Didactics in Educational Technology. His thesis project in educational sciences at Université du Québec à Montréal focuses on the impact of learning computer programming on young learners.

Meeting the growing needs of the job market

The evolution of the global job market represents one of the motivations at the heart of the integration of programming in school curricula. This motivation, widely promoted by policy-makers, is essentially linked to the need to train more people with programming skills. Indeed, technological knowledge, particularly in the high-tech sector, has been driving economic growth in North America and elsewhere in the world for over 20 years.

A growing number of jobs require a deep understanding of technology. This number of jobs is actually expected to increase in the coming years considering that data science, artificial intelligence and decentralization technologies (such as blockchain technology, on which cryptocurrencies are based) are becoming increasingly dominant areas of the economic sector.

Teaching coding from an early age could thus be a way to facilitate countries’ immersion and performance in the digital economy.
Some studies also argue that exposing students to computer programming early in the school curriculum could have a positive impact on the identity they develop with respect to this field, considering that there are many stereotypes associated with it (mainly that “computer science is only for boys”). In this respect, arguments that go beyond the economic benefits can be evoked.

Promoting social equity

According to several authors, greater exposure to computer science by teaching young people how to program could also help promote greater social equity in terms of representation and access to technological professions.

On the one hand, computer science skills can indeed provide access to well-paying jobs, which could help provide greater financial stability for marginalized groups who have not had the opportunity to accumulate wealth in recent generations. On the other hand, the increased participation of people from under-represented groups in computing (women, Indigenous people, Black people) could also promote diversity in the field, and ultimately result in an increase in the total number of workers.

In addition, there is a related argument that greater diversity within the workforce would lead to better products, accessible to a greater portion of consumers in the marketplace. Too much homogeneity among workers leads to the design of products and services that cater to a relatively narrow spectrum of individuals and problems, which may reinforce some inequalities.

Researchers advancing this equity argument argue that if early and intentional steps are not taken to foster greater diversity, this could result in a “digital gap” or an opportunity difference between dominant and marginalized groups, much more pronounced in the coming years. All youth learning to program could in this sense represent a measure to decrease this gap and promote greater social equity, which is in line with United Nations’ Goal 4 about inclusivity and equality in education.

Developing learners’ cognitive skills

Finally, the most commonly mentioned argument concerns the role programming would play in developing computational thinking in learners. Defined and popularized in 2006, the concept of computational thinking refers to the skills of “problem solving, system design, and understanding human behaviour based on the fundamental concepts of computer science.”

Several authors argue that the development of such computational thinking would be beneficial for the learners, as it would allow them to develop high-level reasoning skills that can be transferred to other learning, such as problem solving, creativity and abstraction.

For these reasons, computational thinking is often embedded within new programming curricula, such as in England’s curriculum, where it is stated that “high quality computer science education equips students to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world.”

The introduction of programming into the school curriculum could therefore have a benefit for all students, even those who are not destined for a technological career, as they could benefit from computational thinking in their daily lives in a more cross-curricular way.

It is important to note, however, that these beneficial effects for the learner, although widely discussed and increasingly documented, still need to be shown through more research involving comparative and longitudinal aspects. Hugo’s thesis project examines this perspective.

In sum, it appears that Ontario’s decision-makers have seen the potential triple benefit of youth learning computer coding for the future. However, the major challenge now facing the Ontario government is the lack of sufficiently qualified teachers to adequately introduce this complex discipline to students.

Adequate staff training will be a key requirement for successful integration, as demonstrated by a 2014 report about computer programming integration in the U.K. One potential solution could be to integrate programming into the initial university training of future teachers.

THE CONVERSATION

THE number of South African employers reporting they are recruiting ICT skills overseas has increased dramatically in the past year – up from 38% to over 50%.

This is a key finding in the 2022 JCSE-IITPSA ICT Skills Survey – conducted by Wits University’s Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) in partnership with the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA), with the support of the Information Technology Association (ITA).

The study’s authors, Adrian Schofield, production consultant at the IITPSA, and professor Barry Dwolatzky, director of the JCSE, highlight the growing trend to recruit foreign skills as “disturbing, given the continuing high levels of unemployment in South Africa”.

With pressures on business margins making employers less willing to wait for graduates to ‘get up to speed’, the number of enterprises saying it had become harder to recruit increased from 20% last year to 35% this year.

Employers recruiting skills overseas say critical skills visas are growing in importance and that changes to the critical skills list and critical skills visa (CSV) criteria have impacted many of them, with 25% saying the list amended in 2022 has made it harder to obtain the skills they need.

The study report notes that many holders of CSVs under the 2014 criteria will now not be able to renew or extend their visas.

Foreign skills markets have also become more attractive for local ICT practitioners, with almost 30% of respondents already working or planning to work remotely and more than 50% saying they are considering doing so.

“We do know that many highly qualified and experienced ICT practitioners are taking their skills overseas, to more stable social environments, to more lucrative economies, and to better futures for their families,” said Dwolatzky.

“This represents a massive drain on our education and training resources, as the return on our investment in these practitioners is gained by the foreign territory.”

MICT sector size in 2022

The Media, Information and Communication Technologies (MICT) sector now comprises 32,985 employers across five sub-sectors, representing a 7% decrease from the 35,569 in the previous financial year with the number of employees increasing to 228,990.

However, more than half of ICT practitioners work in non-MICT sectors, including retail, financial, services, public sector, manufacturing, mining and health, according to the report.

Changing enterprise skills priorities

The 2022 ICT Skills Survey tracked changes in enterprise priorities since 2008. It found that 14 years ago, the top priorities were Business Intelligence/ Knowledge Management, Application Development and Software as a Service, followed by Service Oriented Architecture, Web Development and Mobile Computing.

In the latest study, they include Information Security/Cybersecurity, Big Data/Data Analytics, DevOps, Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things.

Top 5 hard-to-fill vacancies, slowing demand

The top five occupations reported by the SETA with hard-to-fill vacancies in the MICT sector are:

Software Developer (1,435 vacancies);Computer Network and Systems Engineer (1,070 vacancies);ICT Systems Analyst (1,036 vacancies);ICT Security Specialist (270 vacancies); andDeveloper Programmer (252 vacancies).

The study authors note that these vacancy numbers are lower than they were last year, indicative of “a severe slowing of growth in the sector”.

Schofield said: “The demand for skills generally, and for ICT skills in particular, is subject to a wide range of influences. These include the depressed state of the economy, uncertain political stability, fallout from exposure to crime and corruption and the introduction of new and improved technologies.”

The key drivers of change influencing skills demand and supply across the MICT sector in future include artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data analytics, 5G and internet of things.

In other sectoral SETAs, the study authors find growing demand for 4IR skills, particularly in areas such as data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, along with developer programmers and cyber security specialists.

The survey also found that the average South African ICT practitioner continues to perform multiple task sets, with only a few identifying their role as “specialist” in nature.

The survey highlighted an urgent and persistent need to raise the game in the education pipeline to close the local ICT skills gaps. It found that among ICT practitioners, only half of ICT graduates are able to find employment immediately after graduating, with around 25% taking 6 months to a year to find work.

“It continues to disappoint us that a significant proportion is still having to wait up to one year to become employed,” Schofield said.

BUSINESS TECH

Columbia University and its hospitals announced Friday they had reached a $165-million settlement with 147 patients of a former gynaecologist accused by dozens of women of sexual abuse, including the wife of a onetime US presidential candidate.

The Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) said Robert Hadden — who separately pleaded guilty in 2016 to two charges of forcible touching and third-degree sexual abuse — has not worked as a doctor since 2012.

In a plea deal in 2016, Hadden lost his medical license and was registered as the lowest-level sex offender, but did not go to jail.

The agreement announced Friday establishes a compensation fund of $165,081,000 to be distributed to the women, including dozens who sued the doctor and the hospital network when victims came forward to reveal the extent of Hadden’s predatory behavior.

Hadden is currently awaiting trial in federal court on six criminal counts, unsealed in 2020, of taking women across state lines for the purpose of sexual abuse from 1993 to 2012.

“We deeply regret the pain that Robert Hadden’s patients suffered and hope that these resolutions will provide some measure of support for the women he hurt,” CUIMC and New York Presbyterian said in a joint statement.

“All those who came forward should be commended. We are committed to the safety and dignity of every one of our patients and have adopted policies to ensure they are protected and empowered while in our care.”

Among the patients was Evelyn Yang, wife of tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang who ran for president as a Democratic outsider in 2016.

In January 2000, Evelyn Yang told CNN she was assaulted by Hadden in 2012 while seven months pregnant with her first child, and had at first not even told her husband.

“This was a serial predator, and he just picked me as his prey,” she told the network.

The settlement comes after Columbia University announced a $71.5-million deal reached last year between the hospitals and 79 of Hadden’s patients who had been represented by a different lawyer.

Columbia said that over the past decade, CUIMC’s obstetrics and gynecology department has revised existing policies and expanded resources to improve patient safety.

AFP

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed concern about the increase in incidents of violence, racism, abuse and bullying at South African schools.

Ramaphosa was addressing members of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) on the third day of its National General Council.

Ramaphosa said incidents of violence, abuse and bullying in local schools are a grave concern.

“Incidents of racism are greatly distressing and show that there is still resistance among some people to the gains that this democratic order has achieved,” said Ramaphosa.

“We are concerned about the apparent increase in incidents of violence against teachers and learners, often perpetrated by criminals who come into schools.”

“We need to work together, across society, to ensure that our schools are safe. This means that SGBs, CPFs, communities, local businesses, unions and the police need to work together to ensure that every single school in the country is a place where educators and learners feel secure and safe.”

As the world commemorates World Teachers’ Day, Ramaphosa added that it was important to reflect and celebrate the important role teachers played in the world by advancing human progress overall.

“Teachers are responsible for the development of our country’s most valuable resource – our children,” said Ramaphosa.

“More than any mineral or natural asset, more than any product or industry, the children of this country will shape our future and determine our fortunes. That places a great responsibility on teachers to educate and prepare our children well.”

Ramaphosa added: “As with all the teachers of our country, the members of SADTU carry a great and noble responsibility. It is a responsibility that you continue to perform with pride, dignity and diligence. I wish you a successful and productive National General Council.”

The SADTU NGC is expected to look into the progress made by the union on resolutions taken at its last national congress in 2019, which include, among others, school safety, psychosocial support for teachers who experience serious challenges at schools, and digital learning.

The theme for this year’s NGC is: “Claiming our right to have our human dignity and safety protected and respected in pursuit of a decolonised quality public education”.

INSIDE EDUCATION

IN anticipation of World Teachers’ Day on Wednesday, the Western Cape Department of Education (WCDE) announced it will offer up to 500 qualified Grade R teachers a permanent post, with service benefits, from 1 January 2023.

According to the department, this forms part of the provincial department’s commitment to expanding access to Grade R and boosting early learning in the Western Cape.

“This is a major step forward and reflects the importance of Grade R as part of the foundation phase, which has been identified as a priority by our department.”

Early learning, according to the department, makes all the difference to a child’s later school grades.

“We must make sure the basics are in place during this phase, if we want to see improved results in later schooling years, particularly matric.”

The department said the employment offer applies to teachers who are already employed at a school in a subsidised Grade R position and meet the required teaching qualification to be appointed as a post-level 1 teacher.

The WCDE announced that the appointment of these teachers will cost about R321 million over the next three years, which is a significant additional investment into Grade R.

“It adds to the steps we have already taken to improve foundation phase outcomes, such as the additional time allocated to reading and maths to reverse learning losses from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

A detailed circular was sent to schools on 27 September 2022, outlining the requirements and process to be followed for the appointments.

According to the department, these teachers will be required to provide their documents for vetting, which must be uploaded to the appointment system by 14 October 2022.

Meanwhile, a qualification process that will pave the way for underqualified Grade R practitioners to obtain the required qualifications for appointment is currently underway.

“This move demonstrates our firm commitment to strengthening early learning in our province, and to supporting our teachers who play such a pivotal role in our children’s lives,” the department said.

“The teachers of the Western Cape are our department’s most valuable asset, and we must do all that we can to support them.”

SA NEWS

WORLD Teachers’ Day, also known as International Teachers’ Day, is celebrated on October 5 every year. This is a day to celebrate, thank and honour teachers for their contributions to their students. On this day, many also come together and organise meetings, conferences and such to identify problems being faced by teachers of the country as well as globally and find solutions to those issues.

Theme of 2022

This year’s theme for World Teachers’ Day is “the transformation of education begins with teachers”.

“Today, on World Teachers’ Day, we celebrate the critical role of teachers in transforming learners’ potential by ensuring they have the tools they need to take responsibility for themselves, for others and for the planet. We call on countries to ensure that teachers are trusted and recognised as knowledge producers, reflective practitioners, and policy partners,” reads a joint message from officials of UNESCO, ILO and Education International.

In 2022, UNESCO will “address the commitments and calls for action made at the Transforming Education Summit, in September 2022, and analyse the implications they have for teachers and teaching,” an official statement from the organisation states.

Origin of World Teachers’ Day

October 5 was proclaimed as World Teachers’ Day by UNESCO in 1994, with the aim of honouring the adoption of UNESCO/ILO Recommendation. This was a part of the intergovernmental conference convened by UNESCO in Paris that recognised the status of teachers in cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO).

After the adoption of this recommendation, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared October 5 to be World Teachers’ Day.

Significance and celebrations 

World Teachers’ Day identifies, celebrates and motivates the accomplishments, contributions and efforts of teachers all around the world on this day. Policymakers and experts around the globe also use this day as an opportunity to identify and resolve issues involving the teaching profession.

To celebrate this day, several schools around the world organise cultural programmes for teachers, or even organise relaxing days for teachers. Some policymakers and education experts organise conferences and meetings to identify problems being faced by teachers around the world and try to brainstorm solutions to these issues. The day can also be used to highlight the importance of quality teachers and guide or motivate future aspirants of this profession.

News Agencies

STAFF REPORTER

THE Board of Directors of Universities South Africa (USAf), Professor Sibongile Muthwa, USAf’s Chairperson, has welcomed Dr Phethiwe Matutu as the new Chief Executive Officer, who succeeds Professor Ahmed Bawa.

Bawa has been at the helm since May 2016.

Dr Matutu assumes office with effect from Monday, 3 October 2022.

For the past five years, she was the Group Executive: Strategy, Planning and Partnerships at the National Research Foundation, where she was responsible for strategy, strategic planning and performance monitoring, strategic partnerships, and information and analysis.

For nine years prior to that she had occupied the position of Chief Director: Human Capital and Science Promotion in the former Department of Science and Technology (DST).

A mathematician by discipline, Dr Matutu holds a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Cape Town.
She obtained a Master’s in Science, Mathematics with distinction from Rhodes University, an Honours in Science, Mathematics, from the same institution and a BSc in Mathematics and Chemistry from the former University of Transkei.

She attended the “Insight into King IV” at the Institute of Directors in South Africa to advance her governance capabilities, and her competence in equity, diversity and inclusion has been broadened by obtaining an “Equity and Transformation Facilitator certificate” from Wits University.

She brings with her solid academic and policy-making credentials, having taught mathematics for 16 years until 2008, at no fewer than five of South Africa’s universities and worked in a policy environment for another 14 years.

Her teaching career culminated in a senior lectureship in Rhodes University’s Department of Mathematics in 2004, a position she held until 2008.
At the former Department of Science and Technology, Matutu successfully led the strategy development in research priority areas of Government, science promotion and Human Capital Development, leading to transformative change and maximising of research impact.

Among her notable achievements was the growth of the Human Capital Development budget, particularly, for researchers and post-graduate student support from the National Treasury.

This was a culmination of ongoing direction setting through guiding documents for entities, and evidence-based case building.

At the NRF, Dr Matutu successfully drove the formulation of the macro-organisational strategy, led the conceptualisation of the establishment of a Research and Development Information Platform for Research and Development data for the National System of Innovation (NSI), and had oversight of the management of key strategic partnerships that are instrumental in leveraging knowledge, human, and financial resources from partners.

Dr Matutu has served at various committees and structures.

They include being a Ministerial appointee to the Walter Sisulu University Council until 2011; a Ministerial Task Team member for
the Drafting of the Implementation Plan for the White Paper on Post-School Education and Training in the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) from 2016 to 2017, a Ministerial Appointee to the Council for South African Natural Scientific Professions in the former DST, from 2010 to 2017, to name a few instances.

Welcoming the new CEO aboard the USAf ship, Professor Muthwa, who is also the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Nelson Mandela University, says Dr Matutu is undoubtedly joining an organisation punching above its weight, and is poised to achieve even more by placing students at the centre of all its endeavours.

Referencing the upheavals that have engulfed SA’s universities in the past, such as the #FeesMustFall movement of 2015 and the CoViD-19 pandemic, of late, Professor Muthwa said she looked forward to Dr Matutu steering USAf forward by applying the lessons learnt from these crises and adapting the organisation to the swift changes that universities have had to
undergo.

“As we transition to more stability – with our new CEO at the helm, I, on behalf of the Board, declare
our strong support to ensure you succeed in this role. As you strive to uphold the cause of Higher Education in South Africa, remember to work with us as a collective. What sets USAf apart from other organisations is the senior leadership working as a collective across the higher education ecosystem. Our collective strength lies in relationality.”

In turn, Dr Matutu expressed appreciation to the USAf Board “for trusting me with this responsibility. Recognising the many challenges currently faced by the sector, including the aftermath of CoViD and water and energy security threats, we need to take cognisance of the environment we’re operating in, in taking the sector forward. Thanks to the roadmap and the implementation plan that my predecessor, Professor Ahmed Bawa, has left behind, we have a solid base to work from, in
assessing how we proceed from here.”

“I look forward to being a significant part of this organisation as the Board and staff at the USAf Office
hold my hand in steering this ship into the future.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

IN an attempt to get high school learners to come up with innovative ways to propel the water and sanitation sector, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is hosting a weeklong Water and Sanitation Education Programme (WSEP) in Boksburg.

The programme, held from 3 – 7 October 2022, is held under a number of competitions, including the Aqua Enduro action project, an initiative aimed at addressing the skills shortage in the scientific and engineering disciplines. It targets Grade 10 – 11 learners.

Aqua Enduro seeks to identify learners who not only have a passion for water and sanitation, but also have the determination and discipline it takes to pursue careers in the water sector.

Department spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau, said other competitive projects will take the form of public speaking, targeting learners from Grade 10 – 11, who are doing Maths and Science. The learners will be given a theme to research and debate amongst themselves.

“Learners from the Intermediate Phase will compete in the Baswa Le Meetse (BLM) action project, which requires them to initiate a water or sanitation project within their school, and use creativity and innovation to artistically sensitise their communities on what they should be doing to actively save water or educate people about proper sanitation in their homes.

“At the end of the competitions on Friday, the department will award the winning schools and learners with bursaries, prize money, certificates and trophies. The bursaries are geared towards studies in water and sanitation-related careers, whilst the prize money will be used by schools to procure water and sanitation related needs for the sustainability of their projects,” Ratau explained.

The Water and Sanitation Education Programme is one of the most successful programmes of the department, which has seen a number of young water and sanitation professionals excel in their expertise within the department and the entire sector.

The programme takes places in various schools across the country and the winning teams will represent their provinces this week at the national adjudication programme.

Ratau said through the programme, the department aims to create more employment opportunities in the country, while also bridging the skills gap that exists in the sector.

So far, a total of 800 learners have been awarded bursaries to pursue careers in the water and sanitation sector, while 3 500 schools have been supported through the programme since its inception.

In 2015, the programme was recognised for its achievement by the United Nations and awarded the “Water for life best practice” Award.

AS matric learners are preparing to write the final examinations of their 12-year schooling career, power cuts continue to have a severe impact on the education sector.

Recently, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education paid a visit to a school in the South Coast in the province, as matric learners are preparing to sit for their final examinations which will kick-off on 31 October 2022. 

The department has shared how it has been affected by power cuts, with learners also losing out on a chunk of their academic year. It is said that schools that rely on technology to study are the most affected by loadshedding.

The previous cohort of matriculants were also faced by the same predicament in 2021 and the Education Department foresees that history might repeat itself.

In an interview, Fraser confirmed: The issue of load shedding is going to disturb us a lot, we therefore appeal to Eskom to make sure that these disturbances come to a stop.

An issue of security in the schools has also been revealed, however, the department has assured that it is currently working to make sure that schools become a safe environment to write in.

Learners have been encouraged to do their best despite the challenges that they are faced with. Fraser has confirmed that a total of 174 413 full-time candidates and 23 730 part-time candidates had been registered to write the 2022 National Senior Certificate exams.

The department has encouraged the matric class of 2022 to prepare for their final exam by starting their revision early, organising their timetable and to also vary their revision techniques.

Careersportal

CURRENT and potential suppliers attended the Supplier Catch-up Networking event at Saxonwold Primary School.
The event was hosted at the school’s Innovation Hub on September 22.

Acting principal Muhammad Khan said, “This is a marketing and networking event with an opportunity for us as a school and you as businesses. Today is about building lasting partnerships. So, it’s a mutual benefit. We’re not just going to come and ask for assistance but we also offer different things as well.”

Sharing some background on the school, acting departmental head of the foundation phase, Ayesha Khan said that Grades 1- 7 are multi-cultural and that it’s a quintile five school which means it’s a fee-paying school that depends on fundraising and the school feels.

“We only receive a small amount of money from the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE). 23 of the 38 staff members are paid by the school governing body while 15 are provisioned by the GDE.”

The acting principal said the school aims to ensure a future of innovation, success and prosperity.

He highlighted that the school excels on the sports field with cricket, soccer, commonwealth teams and the girls’ soccer team.

Off the field, learners are awarded academic colours and boast of district achievements as well.

Khan shared that they donate money to charity and identify families in need within the school and help them out.

Head of Innovation, ICT and digital marketing, Frankie Cilliers said the event was about creating long-lasting relationships that are mutually beneficial based on trust and loyalty.

Adding on what the school offers, he said, “We also focus on project-based learning whereby learners come up with solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems. We also focus on future-ready skills as the world is becoming more and more automated. We have google-certified educators. The school has a strong digital footprint which places the school in a position to obtain investment.”

Acting principal Khan said they wanted to grow from where they are and to achieve that, they need partners/sponsors to be on board.

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