A 76-year-old Clairwood, Durban, primary school – serving the children of mainly the working-class and severely disadvantaged members of the community – lacking the financial resources to meet the requirements for the 2023 introduction of coding and robotics to its curriculum has been boosted with the donation of a R330 000 fully-equipped Computer Laboratory and Media Centre.
The South Coast Madressa Primary School, located in Clairwood, 8 km south of the Durban city centre, was desperate to initiate the programme, regarded as a Presidential initiative, but without Department of Education funding for coding and robotics, the school’s precarious financial position threatened to leave it in the educational backwaters.
Then the South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT) stepped in to transform the school’s information technology education aspirations into reality.
Speaking at a recent event to mark the official handover of the facility, SAMCT representative, Mr Gaff Osman, said: “The teaching of coding and robotics at primary school level has emerged as an imperative, but without departmental funding, few schools – especially historically disadvantaged and rural educational facilities – have little prospect of being able to expose their learners to the educational tools so necessary in today’s digitally-driven world.”
Mr Osman said: “The South Coast Madressa Primary School has long recognised the need for educational transformation to include information technology, including coding and robotics, but has simply found the cost involved to be way beyond its ability.”
Without the appropriate facilities, the school feared that it would be severely disadvantaged, whilst schools able to meet the requirements would take an appreciable leap forward in delivering against the curriculum.
“It is abundantly clear that while teaching coding and robotics is now regarded as being important, the already disproportionate educational gap would become wider still, with poorer schools falling even further back without access to information technology tools,” he added.
“Technological advancement has completely changed – and continues to change – the way we live our lives in South Africa and our youth must, therefore, be well prepared to move with global advancements in this regard. Coding and robotics play an appreciable role in strengthening critical thinking skills, affording learners a competitive edge in cultivating improved logical and computational thinking and the application of digital skills in the resolution of problems,” he stressed.
“In view of the digital demands we face now and which will become all the more intense in future years, the SAMCT was pleased to be in a position to create for the benefit of the South Coast
Madressa Primary School’s learners a fully-fledged Computer Lab and Media Centre, which will open up new developmental and technology-related horizons for children here,” said Mr Osman.
Information Technology is now a critical component of the education process and more schools need to be equipped in order to provide all learners with a digital education.
“Our schools must be able to provide for computer literacy, including coding and robotics. Having fit-for-purpose computer room infrastructure is now essential if our young people are going be successful in an increasingly technologically-advanced world. The capital outlay for computer labs is, however, extremely costly and going forward the private sector will have to assist, if we are to provide a fit and proper IT education for our children in this country,” Mr Osman added.
The SAMCT was quick to respond to the South Coast Madressa Primary School’s plea for assistance, providing the tools necessary for the school to roll-out the coding and robotics initiative in line with Government calls.
Mr Altaf Hussein, the school’s Principal and a former learner of the school was in total awe of the Trustees of SAMCT for acceding to the school’s request and for their generous gesture. He said that the establishment of a fully-fledged Computer laboratory and ICT centre will most definitely facilitate the teaching of coding and robotics at the schools and will close the gap between the advantaged and les-advantaged schools. He also reiterated that the State President must be lauded for the introduction of coding and robotics at schools as this would ensure that learners from our country would now become capable competitors on a global platform.
The SAMCT was created in 2008, the result of a partnership between Old Mutual Unit Trusts and Al Baraka Bank, for the creation, marketing and distribution of a suite of Shariah Funds. The organisation provides funding, services and other resources for the improvement of the lives of the vulnerable, deprived and disadvantaged. It has been singularly successful in delivering sizeable assistance solutions throughout South Africa – irrespective of race or religion – and continues to work to support needy organisations in the fields of social development, poverty alleviation, healthcare and education.
“We, of the SAMCT, are privileged to have assisted in bringing coding and robotics to this school and believe our intervention will ensure the delivery of exceptional ICT benefits at the South Coast Madressa Primary School for many years to come,” said Mr Osman.