As the world gears up to celebrate Computer Science Education Week (CSEd Week) from December 4th to December 10th, Code for Change is proud to announce that its flagship initiative, CodeJIKA, aimed at empowering African high school students through coding skills and artificial intelligence (AI) awareness, presents a variety of coding activities centered around our continent’s unique diversity.

CSEd Week serves as a rallying call to promote computer science education, coding proficiency, and AI awareness. At the heart of this celebration lies Code for Change’s CodeJIKA initiative, poised to revolutionize coding education in Africa.

Chelsea Hornby, the Donor Relations Head at , Code for Change emphasized the importance of coding skills in preparing South African youth for the future job landscape. She noted, “Many of the jobs of the future will require at least a basic understanding of computer science and coding. Tackling the problem of digital skills development through initiatives like Africa Code Week and community-focused programs such as CodeJIKA is critical.”

CodeJIKA serves alongside Code.org, as an African-centric coding club for students around the continent during the week of the 4th to 10 December 2023. Students can participate in CSed Week at no cost on the CodeJIKA website: https://codejika.org/csed-week. 

The initiative aims to equip an impressive 100,000 students with essential coding skills during this week-long celebration.

Mr. Joel Mavuso, Deputy Chief Education Specialist- E-Learning from the Erkhuruleni South District, calls for participation and support from those who hold influence in their respective fields: “CSEd Week is an opportunity for us to join forces with educators, community leaders, and business professionals to foster a nationwide movement focused on computer science education. Our goal is to empower students across all levels of proficiency and create a welcoming environment for them to explore coding.” – Mr Mavuso

Code for Change’s CodeJIKA initiative is set to offer an array of activities catering to learners of varying proficiency levels: Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced. 

All activities will be accessible on the CodeJIKA coding platform throughout CSEd Week, welcoming participants from all countries and locations.

Upon completion, participants will receive digital certificates. Sharing event photos and videos on social media using #CSWeek23 #CodeJIKA and tagging @codejika will amplify the celebration of their success.

Teachers are encouraged to engage with CodeJIKA’s program, irrespective of their technical background. The initiative provides a user-friendly interface for teachers to guide their students through the coding journey:

• Sign up as a teacher on me.CodeJIKA.org and invite students using the Join Code Link.
• Start students with the 10-minute program, progressing to Projects 1, 2, and 3.
• Encourage continued project exploration even in the absence of the teacher.
• Join CodeJIKA’s Teacher Help WhatsApp Group for support and guidance.

Volunteers are invited to host Hour of Code sessions in schools during CSEd Week. The simple steps outlined include selecting a school and preparing for the session by accessing a downloadable guide provided by CodeJIKA.

Temoso Matlokosi a grade 9 student from Bokamoso Secondary Schools says, “CSEd Week is just the beginning of a lifelong coding journey. I  encourage other students to continue their coding endeavors by completing projects on the CodeJIKA platform, inviting peers to join, forming coding clubs, and exploring offline projects.” – edit from students perspective.

Code for Change is enthusiastic about the potential of CSEd Week to inspire a new wave of coding enthusiasts and invites everyone to be part of this transformative movement.