Private Bag X895, Pretoria, 0001, Sol Plaatje House, 222 Struben Street, Pretoria, 0001 South Africa

Tel: (012) 357 3000, Fax: 012 323 0601, www.education.gov.za

TO: HEADS OF PROVINCIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENTS

DISTRICT DIRECTORS
CIRCUIT MANAGERS
SCHOOL GOVERNING BODIES (SGB) ASSOCIATIONS
NATIONAL TEACHER ORGANISATIONS
SCHOOL PRINCIPALS

CIRCULAR 1 OF 2022
TEACHER UNION COLLABORATION: SKILLS FOR A CHANGING WORLD

1. The purpose of this circular is to inform the Education sector of the Teacher Training for
Coding and Robotics– skills for a changing world.

2. The Department of Basic Education has introduced nineteen (19) new subjects to the
curriculum to expose teachers and learners to a range of skills and competencies which will
equip them for the 21st Century with an emphasis on innovation and lifelong learning.
Teachers and learners will be able to respond to emerging technologies, including the Internet
of Things, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence with the introduction of a Coding and Robotics
curricula for Grades R – 9.

3. The Basic Education Lekgotla held in January 2022 recommended amongst others;
Increased School-based professional Development, including Professional Learning
Committees (PLCs) as well as System prioritisation of Foundation Phase (FP) and grades
with least learning time in 2020/21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

4. The Department of Basic Education (DBE), Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) and
the five Teacher Unions (South African Democratic Teachers' Union -SADTU, National
Teachers Union - NATU, National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa -
NAPTOSA, Professional Educators Union- PEU and Suid Afrikaanse Onderwysers Unie-
SAOU) entered into a Memorandum of Agreement in July 2012 after piloting a programme
with the CAPS orientation training in KZN and Mpumalanga. The Teacher Union

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 Collaboration (TUC) agreement was therefore established with the objective of the
programme to ensure that teacher unions complement PEDs in their obligation to conduct
ongoing teacher development.

5. The DBE consolidated teacher development needs of PEDs and called for proposals from
teacher unions to render the required teacher development activities. It is on the back of this
TUC agreement that the DBE introduced the training of teachers on skills for a changing
world.

6. Given the skills deficiency it is prudent that there is a focus on teacher development in order
to ensure that teachers have the requisite skills to propel learners into the 21st Century. It is
for this reason that funding has been secured to train teachers on skills for a changing world.

7. The objective of the TUC is to train 22 500 teachers on Coding and Robotics and Digital
Skills. The purpose of the training is to create awareness of Coding and Robotics, demystify
the myths regarding the subject and train teachers on how to utilize unplugged kits to teach
learners computational thinking in order to prepare them with the skills for a changing world.

8. Foundation Phase and Senior Phase Teachers are encouraged to participate in the training
as it will train them on how to incorporate coding in the subjects they currently teach. The
training uses basic concepts of logic, algorithms, patterns, decomposition and abstraction as
well as tinkering, creating and debugging approaches which encourages computational
thinking and can be incorporated into all subjects taught at Foundation and Senior Phase.

9. Provincial and district officials are requested to monitor the training and provide updates to
the provincial Project Management Team who will in turn offer feedback to the national Project
Management Team. The monitoring instrument should be completed online using the
following link: https://forms.office.com/r/DJVp6fpAa1

10. The DBE would appreciate the support from schools, circuits, districts and Provinces to
ensure the successful implementation and rollout of the training programme hosted by
Teacher Unions.

11. Principals are required to ensure that teachers are allowed to attend the training offered by
the Teacher Unions.

12. Your support towards this initiative is greatly appreciated.

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Kind regards

MR HM MWELI
DIRECTOR GENERAL
DATE: 16/09/2022

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