Sasol In Society Report - Book - Page 51
Coding and Robotics
Resource Development
The project was initiated to support the introduction
of the Coding and Robotics curriculum in schools.
The Sasol Foundation participated in the development
of the curriculum in 2020, the training of the provincial
teams and teachers. To date, about 450 provincial
training teams and 3 100 Grade R-8 teachers were
trained nationally over the past two years. To pilot
and support the practical component, the Sasol
Foundation has also partnered with Tshikululu
Social Investments and Sfiso Edtech to establish
seven coding and robotics laboratories in schools
and education Centres in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal,
Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape. In
addition, Osizweni hosted a coding and robotics
open day for primary schools and interested parties
in Embalenhle.
To strengthen the teaching and learning of
mathematics in the Foundation Phase, the Sasol
Foundation is in the process of translating the Grades
1-3 Mathematics learner books and teacher guides into
all official languages in line with the language policy
for Foundation Phase. Our support for this project
seeks to mitigate the learning barriers created when
learners are taught in a language that is not their
home language. On completion, these resources
will be digitised to enable access to quality maths
resources to all learners.
Feature
Story
Sasol TechnoX
– Unearthing a world of unending
possibilities
Technology and innovation rapidly evolve and change
every aspect of our lives, ushering in new career
opportunities powered mainly by STEM subjects. Yet,
most learners do not have knowledge about relevant
careers, resulting in wrong subject cchoices, and
consequently, high unemployment as graduates lack
the requisite skills for the current and new economy
and are not fully aware of the urgent need to innovate
in order to solve our socio-economic challenges.
To show our commitment to ensuring that South
Africa produces a generation of adequately trained
professionals, artisans and entrepreneurs who
possess the correct combination of knowledge and
needed skills to steer the country forward, the Sasol
Foundation has been hosting one of the biggest
science and technology career expos every year since
2000. Over the years, this was a live event hosted in
Sasolburg and Secunda on alternate years until it was
interrupted by the recent pandemic, COVID-19.
In September 2022, we took advantage of the lessons
learnt during the lockdown to launch the first-ever
virtual Sasol TechnoX. The theme of the expo was,
EXPLORE, CREATE, INNOVATE and the exhibition
focused on skills of the future, entrepreneurship, and
profiling of STEAMI careers accessible at the different
levels of the education spectrum. It was also used as
a platform to engage the youth on socio-economic
issues that affect their daily lives.
Joined by over 36 000 learners, 336 schools and over
2 800 individuals, the event was both inspiring and
informative. It featured 2D and 3D virtual exhibition
stands and allowed the viewers to interact with the
exhibitors and conference speakers through chats
and live virtual engagements and competitions. It
also offered many young innovators, professionals
and speakers an opportunity to showcase their talent,
products and services to a wider audience.
SASOL IN SOCIETY 2023
51