OVER 2,400 students in Dar es Salaam Region will be equipped with digital literacy and coding skills to enable them to come up with workable technological solutions for the various society problems.
Coordinated by the Dar Teknohama Business Incubator (DTBi), which is under the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), the programme has trained about 80 teachers in various schools in all Districts of Dar es Salaam, who will impart the knowledge to their students.
DTBi Fursa Lab Project Manager, Eng Michael Thomas disclosed that during the teacher’s workshop in Dar es Salaam, recently, indicating that the 80 teachers will return to their schools and share the knowledge amongst the students.
“The programme provides the great chance for the students to change the world with their knowledge on coding skills (Scratch programming) and to understand computers at an early stage and have a logical approach to learning and problem solving.
“This will not only affect their thinking, but also in future they will become experts in the various fields,” said Eng Thomas.
According to him, coding has been able to bring a major technological revolution in the society, adding: “That is why they have decided to impart the skills to teachers who will in turn teach their students.”
Elaborating, he noted that in the course of the progamme next year, students who have acquired the crucial skills will get a chance to take part in a competition dubbed African Code Challenge.
Adding: “The focus has been in Dar es Salaam and the goal is to extend the programme across the country in the coming year so that more students participate in the challenge of developing technological solutions.”
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However, he called upon various stakeholders to support the endeavor in enabling the programme to be extended countrywide.
Commenting, teacher with ABC Capital School in Mongo la Ndege, Mariam Hassan said the opportunity has enabled them to acquire skills on computer programming specifically in the area of coding.
“The programme is very good for us teachers and in helping our students to create various programmes, which will help them through their learning processes and remember what they have been taught in schools,” she pointed out.
The course has enabled her to come up with her own programme and games in enabling her students to participate in the competition.
In a related development, she urged fellow teachers to register for the training in the wake of acquiring skills and in turn enable their students to generate workable solutions in the society’ everyday life.
On his part, Kiona Benjamin, a teacher with Daniel Chongolo Secondary said they learned various things, which will enable their students to excel, in particular teaching English subject-being the medium of communication in the institution.
He added: “I am going to share this knowledge with fellow teachers for them also to be able to invent technological programmes, which will help their students take part in the various innovative ventures.”
Due to the escalating moral decay in the society spurred by mushrooming social media, the teacher said they will focus on impacting behavioral change in their students’ population, instead of using technology for things which are not important to valuable opportunities.