The NextGen_ DigitalNorth project which has empowered about 50 Chobe Junior Secondary School students through a coding and robotic skills training is expected to play a vital role in preparing students for the technology driven future as they pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and mathematics careers.
The NextGen-DigitalNorth project is an initiative by Ambassadors for Good, a team of five Debswana employees with unique technological skills who saw the need to empower communities through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The team had partnered with Chobe Education Fund and Brainstream company to deliver the project which consisted of a five-day coding and robotics skills training for both teachers and students.
The project is an initiative that is supported through the Anglo-American skillsbased volunteerism programme that gives an opportunity for employees to support and champion a cause they are passionate about and make a life changing difference to those around them, backed by funding from the AngloAmerican Foundation and Debswana Diamond Company Corporate Social Investment programme.
Speaking during the official launch of the project that was held at Chobe JSS in Kasane this week, Ambassadors for Good Captain Monkgogi Tshosa said in an era defined by rapid advancements in digital technologies, the skills that were once considered at tertiary level and for those that do Science, Technology, Engineering and mathematics, like coding and robotics, are now becoming essential. She stated that the future of education must evolve to meet these demands, ensuring no student, no matter where they live, are left behind.
“Our project is dedicated to providing the tools and knowledge necessary to prepare the next generation for this tech-driven future and we chose Chobe region because of lack of accessibility to some of these initiatives,” she said.
According to Tshosa, through the NextGen_digitalNorth project they want to bridge this gap while giving a voice to the students of Chobe JSS, empowering them with coding and robotic skills. Tshosa has noted that in this way they believe that they can help to unlock the students’ potential and open doors to new opportunities.
“Hopefully this way, the school and the students can see it fit to utilise the tools to not only use them in a classroom setup but begin stimulating their curiosity and see this as a career or business opportunity in the future, really solving real life problems and delivering on our national agenda of a knowledge-based economy through digital transformation,’’ she said.
Chobe Regional Operations Principal Education Officer Tebogo Seitei has said that they are aware that the economy of Chobe is highly reliant on tourism, therefore there is a need to diversify and reduce this dependency with other initiatives. He noted that the initiative is a stepping stone towards the realisation of the ambition for Botswana and Batswana. Seitei further stated that embarking on such a project would offer an opportunity for students in the Chobe region as the geographic area is one of the least developed and opportunities for students to access enabling services are few and far between.
For his part, Chobe JSS School Head David Nfila said that the students can only succeed if there are materials that sustain their curriculum or that complements the objectives of the curriculum and the support they got through the project was critical. He urged the students to utilise the skills they learnt through the project to become competitive globally.
‘‘You are the students of the 21st century, you must interact practically with the learning materials because you have a very big challenge as there is a greater competition which looks tantalising outside there, competing with the seemingly done content that you are being taught,” he said.
