Unlocking potential: the case for integrating coding into South Africa's foundation phase curriculum

Daily Maverick

2 days ago

Contrary to some arguments, teaching this curriculum does not come at the expense of literacy and numeracy, but enhances those skills.
Some articles in the media over the past few weeks have made concerning statements about the implementation of the coding and robotics curriculums not being mandatory in 'the foreseeable future'.
The Department of Basic Education's revised annual performance plan for 2025/26 is mentioned as a source document. All the curriculums for Grade R to Grade 9 were gazetted in June 2024, and the plan was to roll out the foundation phase in 2026.
The main reason stated for not rolling it out is that the immediate focus needs to be the improvement of literacy and numeracy in Grade R to Grade 3. Furthermore, a lack of resources is stated as another reason.
The reasons mentioned in the various articles are all quite valid. Literacy and numeracy have proven to be a huge problem in South African schools over many years. A challenge regarding resources to roll out the curriculum is very real. Add to that the limited number of teachers who are equipped to teach conventional coding and robotics.
Accepting all this, there is a harsh reality we all need to face. Since we already have gazetted Curriculum and Policy Assessment Statements (Caps) curriculums, nothing stops schools that have the resources to implement the foundation phase curriculum in 2026. 'Not mandatory' implies voluntary.
The danger in this is the widening of the digital divide in our country. Putting it crudely, the 'haves' will go ahead and the 'have-nots' will stay behind. The feedback I have received from mainly rural teachers is extreme fear of missing out. This has been the fear of teachers who care for the future of their pupils over many years.
Dr Bertie Buitendag from the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology at the Tshwane University of Technology worked on the foundation phase curriculum. He believes implementing it will enhance the foundational skills of numeracy and literacy rather than compete with them.
Literature shows the cognitive domains that will be developed include computational thinking, problem-solving, pattern recognition, sequential thinking, language and communication skills, self-sufficiency and confidence. The foundation phase curriculum is unplugged, which means no technical devices are needed to roll them out.
Tangible Africa is an engagement project of Nelson Mandela University. We have been sending out free weekly CAPS-aligned lessons from Grade R to Grade 9, using a WhatsApp chatbot. These lessons are all unplugged. For the foundation phase, they cover the full curriculum. Hundreds of teachers from around the country have been using them.
The main positive feedback from foundation phase teachers includes easy implementation, pupil engagement, growing teacher confidence and enhancement of other foundational skills. It must be noted that these teachers had limited to no training and simply implemented the provided lessons.
The main challenges faced are overfull classes, a lack of time and limited support or isolation. Overfull classes are a national challenge faced by all teachers in any subject. Although a lack of time is highlighted, the majority of teachers have succeeded in implementing their lessons in school time (30 to 60 minutes a week), and some started voluntary coding clubs after school. Mechanisms can be put in place (physical or online) to support teachers and help them not to feel isolated.
In our lessons, Tangible Africa uses mathematics, language and life skills examples to teach the different grid coding concepts prescribed in the curriculum. The natural spin-off of this is that implementing the curriculum through various activities creates a new, fun and interactive mechanism to enhance foundational skills.
To improve numeracy and literacy in the foundation phase, it is clear to me that something different needs to be done in the classroom to bring about change. I want to suggest that the answer lies in the coding and robotics curriculum, which allows for innovative mechanisms for change.
Tangible Africa is not the only provider of unplugged material for the foundation phase, and the way we have done it by distributing free lessons via a chatbot can be improved. One example of this could be continuous online training and support to empower teachers. What the project has shown, however, is that the curriculum can be implemented with minimal costs in the deepest rural areas of our country.
I have dedicated my life to finding low-tech ways to bring science, technology, engineering and mathematics education to the marginalised. Therefore, I plead with all role players to seriously apply their minds. Will coding and robotics in the foundation phase hold back the development of our young ones' numeracy and literacy skills, or actually enhance these skills in a way that belongs to the 21st century?
We have a tool that could revolutionise education. We should not discard it without serious consideration. DM
Dr Jean Greyling is associate professor in computing sciences at Nelson Mandela University and the founder of Tangible Africa.
This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.