Forty provincial educational specialists responsible for the robotics and coding subject from eight provinces are attending the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation’s (DSTI) Coding and Robotics Workshop at the Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC) in Cape Town. The training runs from 23 – 27 March 2026.

A bit of context

The workshop forms part of a three-year contract awarded to the CHPC by the DSTI to deliver training workshops in support of implementing the new coding and robotics curriculum for the Department of Basic Education (DBE).

The official launch of the curriculum followed a phased timeline of approval, piloting and formal gazetting. The reconceptualised Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) was endorsed by Umalusi for full rollout in the Foundation Phase starting in 2025. Extensive piloting has taken place in more than 1 500 public schools across all nine provinces to test the draft curriculum for Grades R – 9.

The new curriculum aims to prepare learners for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) careers by fostering:

• Computational thinking: Solving complex problems through logic;
• Design thinking: Creating human-centred solutions and encouraging innovation; and
• Digital citizenship: Understanding the societal impact of technology and promoting ethical usage.

The hands-on programme covers:

• Day one: Scratch programming fundamentals and computational thinking
• Day two: Advanced Scratch and classroom integration (lesson plans, classroom activity templates and assessment strategies)
• Day three: Physical computing with Arduino using Scratch for Arduino
• Day four: Robotics (building a robotic arm project) and Community Code Club coordination
• Day five: Introduction to Micro:bit and DBE curriculum integration planning

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

• Teach foundational coding and robotics concepts to students;
• Integrate coding and robotics into existing DBE curriculum subjects; and
• Independently run similar workshops in their provinces, districts and schools.

Why training provincial subject advisors matters

The CHPC has recently completed a similar three-year robotics and coding contract with the DSTI during the planning and piloting phase of the new curriculum, “Training educational sepcialists is a critical step in the DSTI’s strategy because they serve as the primary bridge between national policy and classroom practice. They are responsible for training teachers in their respective districts,” said Koki Selepe, Deputy Director: Science Promotion at the DSTI.

In the previous contract, a cohort of 220 trainees were successfully trained and is now equipped to establish coding and robotics programmes and initiatives in their respective regions. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the train-the-trainer model used in the programme.

“They ensure that the new CAPSis correctly interpreted and implemented uniformly across all schools, preventing misconceptions,” said Mthetho Sovara, senior research support scientist and project lead for the Coding and Robotics Workshop.

The Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC) team that participated in the international Student Cluster Competition at the ISC25 Conference held from 10-12 June 2025 in Hamburg, Germany, has secured second place overall in the online component of the competition, defeating 21 other university teams across the globe.

The placement was announced at the awards ceremony on 12 June 2025.

This fantastic result shows that the team, made up of four Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) students, one student from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and one student from the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS), was a force to be reckoned with while competing against many other international teams! The CHPC student teams have previously won this competition and have defended the trophy on several occasions. The centre is renowned for bringing fierce contenders on the high-performance computing stage.

The CHPC team entered the competition with a 3-node high-performance computing cluster sponsored by Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, featuring Intel central processing units and NVIDIA graphics cards, along with Aruba and NVIDIA networks. 

Team CHPC members are:

• Kapil Ramlall (Wits, Electrical Engineering);
• Thina Calana (CPUT, Computer Engineering);
• Lisa Pitsi (University of the Western Cape, Computer Science);
• Tebogo Diraditsile (CPUT, Computer Engineering);
• Allen Van Dieman (CPUT, Computer Engineering);
• Abdullah Jaffer (CPUT, Computer Engineering); and
• Anna Lukose (University of Cape Town, Electrical and Computer Engineering and an incredibly supportive reserve)

Congratulations, Team CHPC!!!

The Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC) invites applications from eligible undergraduate students at South African universities to participate in the 2025 CHPC Student Cluster Competition. This competition provides students with valuable exposure to the high-performance computing Industry.

The winning team will represent South Africa during the 2026 International Supercomputing Conference in Hamburg, Germany. To enter a team, visit https://events.chpc.ac.za/event/153/  and complete the online application form before 17:00 on Monday, 14 April 2025.

If multiple teams from the same institution are applying, an internal selection process, in the form of an interview or quiz, is encouraged. Teams should indicate their ranking on the application form.

Successful teams will be notified by Friday, 2 May 2025.

Please assist the CHPC in advertising this opportunity by forwarding this message to appropriate personnel.

The competition format for 2025 will be an intensive in-person competition week. Online resources for virtual self-study will be made available before the start of the week on Sunday, 6 July 2025. The competition week will take place from Sunday, 6 July to Saturday,12 July 2025.

Should your institution have a conflict with the dates, please contact the organising committee and we will endeavour to make the necessary arrangements to permit you to travel. Please note that there are no fees for successful applicants. All costs associated with travel, transport, accommodation, and catering will be covered by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

The CHPC is an initiative funded by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation and managed by the CSIR.