Beyond the Classroom, We shape the Future

(Duduzile, Nomusa, Lorancia and Joyce)

Inside the club house of Middelburg Primary School, a third gathering of a vibrant community of practice made up of after-school programme leaders from across the Mpumalanga province took place. These were not just meetings—they were moments of alignment, of vision, of building something bigger than any one organisation could achieve alone.

At the heart of the session was the newly released Quality Standards for After-School Programmes Toolkit. Designed to elevate the impact of after-school initiatives, the toolkit anchored four foundational pillars of the quality standards for after-school programmes.

1. Quality Programme Design: Ensuring that every activity is intentional, inclusive, and aligned with developmental outcomes.

2. Environment, Health, and Wellness: Creating safe, nurturing spaces that support learners’ physical and emotional wellbeing.

3. Partnerships: Strengthening collaboration between schools, communities, and stakeholders to collaborate.

4. Human Resources and Relations: Investing in the people who make the programmes thrive—through training, support, and recognition.

As the rain gently poured on the school's sports ground, facilitators from The Learning Trust guided us through reflective exercises, case studies, and practical strategies that we all contributed in group activities. Laughter mingled with deep discussions as we exchange ideas and make commitments 

(After-school programme leaders with Learning Trust facilitators)

This was more than a training, it was a reaffirmation that in every corner of South Africa, after-school programmes are not just filling time—they are shaping futures of this country.

(Sarai demonstrating an AI robot for foundation phase)

DigiGirlz Coding Bootcamp 2025 for eMalahleni 2

 51 grade 7-9 girls participated in a DigiGirlz workshop at eMalahleni 2 circuit. Our talk was all about future careers, positive personal branding and online safety.

We also introduced the girls to Scratch coding using the Raspberry Pi Foundation Scratch activity called "Catch a bus"  

Our popular rap song composed by Thandiwe Mbila came alive again here "I am somewhere in the future and I look better than I look right now." Yes we hope that the girls will push through to their careers, focusing on their dreams. 

The #DigiGirlz Initiative was launched in 2018 and we managed to share the 7th anniversary of the DigiGirlz Initiative with the girls. 

We prayed that the divine mercy of the Almighty protects them as they grow up to achieve their future dreams.

DigiGirlz Coding Bootcamp in the Nkangala District

https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/digigirlz-coding-bootcamp

We are starting at Sbongindawo Primary School with the eMalahleni 2 Ogies schools.

Sbongindawo Code Club Officially Launched

What an interesting day I had with grade 4-7 learners who were in the computer lab for the first time in their lives, officially launching their Code by hosting Scratch Day. It happened on August 20, 2025. Sbongindawo Primary School.

We discussed how computers are used in various sectors and what tools or methods were used before. 

I observed their nervousness as they touched the mouse to point out their sprites, scrolled their screens, and dragged and dropped their coding script palettes across the Scratch interface. 

It was difficult, but they were determined to complete their project. It is a rewarding job to teach coding skills to the young ones. You experience a journey with emotional intelligence, patience, and resilience. Once you see their confidence growing, that moment also becomes yours.

We completed our project with big smiles that conveyed the message, "We can do this."

I take this opportunity to thank the teachers who teamed up to open this opportunity for our kids, especially from this mining farm village, and appreciate the mining company Puma Energy which donated the 40 brand-new desktops and the computer lab to this school.(We are protecting the school name for the safety of their resources.)

#computerscienceeducation #coding #robotics Scratch Raspberry Pi Foundation Rujeko Moyo

I am a STEM Advocate - My short reflection

I have been an active STEM advocate for more than 30 years. I started teaching in 1994 at Ilanga Secondary School. The school used to receive after-school support from Eskom engineers, who taught Mathematics and Science in the afternoons, weekends and holidays. The school was well-known for quality performance when it comes to STEM subjects during those years. This venture motivated me to look back to those years when I started the DigiGirlz Initiative. I will forever be a STEM advocate.

Today, I’m joining many STEM or STEAM advocates who are disappointed by the announcement of the Department of Basic Education, a call to make coding and robotics no longer mandatory. Bad as it looks, I draw some strength from my research, “Grade 8 and 9 girls’ perceptions of coding and robotics in a DigiGirlz workshop in the Nkangala District.”. The study found that many developed countries integrated coding and robotics in other subjects like mathematics, science and computer science and not as a standalone subject like what South Africa aimed to do. Countries in Europe use robotics to inspire kids to follow STEM fields as they grow; no wonder these countries have strong engineering skills. As a STEM advocate, I am implementing similar strategies and will continue to incorporate coding and robotics into STEM education to encourage children, particularly girls, to pursue careers in STEM fields, as gender segregation in these areas remains persistent.

Along my journey, I met professionals, supporters, organisations and those who sponsor my name in various platforms, I learnt from the best. I remember my first supervisor who tend down my first research topic and directed me to the DigiGirlz Initiative for my Master's degree dissertation, Dr Jacqueline Batchelor. "I hope you are still proud of me".

Over the past few years, I joined Prof. Jean Greyling, at the Nelson Mandela University and became an unplugged coding ambassador. I saw and tested the possibility of implementing coding and robotics concepts with a low cost budget and resources. It remains feasible to continue our efforts as we incorporate stronger literacy and numeracy into foundational learning throughout the entire country. 

Girls are somewhere in the future #DigiGirlz

"I'm somewhere in the future, and I look better than I look right now." Thandiwe Mbila  from Mkhephuli Secondary School came up with this phrase, and now it has become part of our workshops to motivate learners to picture their future, especially their workplace. It is a gem rap followed by a snapping of fingers and footsteps. I really loved it, especially yesterday with the girls in a DigiGirlz workshop at Morelig Secondary School.

The girls were joined by Sheena Satikge-Sibisi  virtually to share some of her experience during her career journeys. As a young star inspired by how townships were designed in South Africa it motivated her to study town planning.

She shared how she navigated high school troubles using confidence and a positive attitude to show up where no one could imagine. She delivered a powerful lesson to these young stars.

The DigiGirlz workshop is one of the intensive sessions where girls are taught various 21st-century skills, including career guides to STEM. We had a design thinking session where they had to identify problems in various newspaper articles, develop problem statements, brainstorm and design prototype solutions. After this exercise, the girls presented their work to the group for positive criticism and improvement.

Another session involved a coding and robotics lesson where girls were introduced to various platforms to learn coding skills. This time, we used one of the Raspberry Pi Foundation  Scratch projects for beginners, and the girls were excited to get this opportunity to learn the skill.

I take this opportunity to thank Ms. Malevu of Morelig school who was on leave yesterday but made this event happened at her school. My colleagues Duduzile, Glenda and Sheena Satikge-Sibisi for supporting the workshop. I appreciate the support from the Nkangala TVET College  for sponsoring some goodies for the girls.

Vuma Primary School excited about coding and robotics

Vuma Primary School kids had fun and excitement to learn more about coding and robotics subject. On the 24th January 2025, Nomusa Keninda, a coding and robotics instructor joined by Florence Sibiya and Ms Veronica Mahlangu conducted a workshop with the grade 4 class using Juicy Gems and Scratch App.

 

The session started with learners turning a phrase into a song "I'm somewhere in the future and I look much better than I look right now" this was a phrase composed by Thandiwe at Emthunzini Primary School when we were launching their science club.

We significantly use this phrase at Vuma Primary School for the grade 4s to picture their future that will definitely look better than right now. “Our workshop can be summarised in one word "JuicyGemScratch" sounds fantastic as I say it loud”. Keninda said.

The workshop introduced the kids to coding and robotics using a Juicy Gems App developed by Dutoit Agri, a leading producer of fruits and vegetables farm in South Africa. Juicy Gems is a mobile game app that teaches learners how to code through play. In the game, learners pause for a question about farming. A cool game indeed.

A well-known coding app Scratch was also introduced to these learners, where they learn about the Scratch Editor Interface and they were assigned to edit the Costumes of their own preferred “Sprites”. Sprites are characters in Scratch. This activity also assessed their level of creativity and art competencies. “Children love playing with colours and creating their own stories” Mashinini confirmed.

Keninda promised that this workshop was not a once off event with Vuma Primary, they planted a seed that would be nurtured by teachers led by Ms Veronica Mahlangu and the two Tangible Africa Coding Ambassadors, Duduzile Mashinini and Bayanda Zulu.