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GEORGE SCHOOLS NEWS - George High School became a hive of technological activity on Saturday 12 September as it hosted the annual EdenX Hackathon.
Organised by the Western Cape Education Department’s (WCED) Eden and Central Karoo (ECK) District Office, the unique competition brought together learners from across the region to test their skills in robotics, coding, app design and drone piloting.
The ECK’s district director, Jewel Jonkers, one of the guest speakers, said coding and robotics prepare the learners for the job opportunities of the future.
“It is better to be prepared for opportunities that do not yet exist than get an opportunity and not be ready. We want to introduce the rural child to a whole new world that we cannot even imagine at present.”
According to Ashric Don, coding and robotics deputy chief education specialist at the WCED, the hackathon is aimed at strengthening the teaching of coding and robotics at under-resourced schools in the district.
It is part of the department’s strategy to introduce a coding and robotics programme at pilot schools. In the whole province, some 236 schools have so far incorporated the programme.
Don said the hackathon is the only such initiative among public schools in the country. Learners do not only compete, but also learn and grow in the process.
“We want to give children another lens through which to view the opportunities of the future. Lots of teacher training and development is also taking place to empower them in this area,” he said.
“The ECK district has shown the most growth over the past three years in coding and robotics as a result of the annual shackathon.”
Among the guest speakers was tech entrepreneur Malcolm Mooi, founder and CEO of Zibuza.net, a social network for South African teachers. He recounted to learners how an uncle’s computer that he was allowed to play on as a child had sparked his interest in the field.
Today, his company is hugely successful and collaborates with companies like Canva and Microsoft Elevate.
The Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism (Dedat), the Sakhikamva Foundation, the Cape Town Science Centre and the Inkcubeko Youth and Science Centre are collaborators of the WCED in presenting the EdenX Hackathon.
The results are as follows:
Drones:
1. Knysna Secondary
2. Dysselsdorp Secondary
3. Jonga High.
Fire project - Stem category:
1. Parkdene Primary
2. and 3. Two Heatherlands High teams.
Fire project - art category:
1. Heidedal Primary
2. Thembalethu Primary
3. Van der Hoven Primary.
GoIT:
1. Hibernia Primary
2. Avontuur Primary
3. Hibernia Primary.
Spike Prime:
1. Thembalethu High
2. Hibernia Primary
3. Pacaltsdorp Primary.
Coding Unplugged:
1. Park Primary
2. Fraaisig Primary
3. Hibernia Primary.
Innovation:
1. Concordia Primary
2. Fraaisig Primary
3. Hartenbos Primary.
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