South Africa’s Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has at a conference in Bali, Indonesia announced the country’s plan to build an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute in the country’s public schools. South Africa, with this initiative, aims to improve the teaching of computer programming and robotics in its public schools.
What’s more
The Minister disclosed that the government would collaborate with the Department of Communications and the Department of Digital Technologies and educational establishments in the country, including the Johannesburg Business School of the University of Johannesburg and the Tshwane University of Technology.
What you should know
Countries including Germany, the United States of America, China, the United Kingdom and Japan are the top nations with developed university courses on artificial intelligence. But by incorporating coding and robotics into the curriculum of elementary and secondary schools, South Africa is combining contemporary education, skill sets, and formal training to train young people to offer tech solutions to the continent and the world.
Kenya, became the first country on the continent to introduce coding into the country’s syllabus for primary and secondary schools. Kenya’s outgoing President, Uhuru Kenyatta, also announced the launch of the nation’s National Cybersecurity Strategy 2022 to tackle rising cyber security concerns in the country.