15/12/2023
Phoenix pupils win world champsTASCHICA PILLAY taschica.pil[email protected]
Sunday Tribune
10 Dec 2023
PUPILS at Sunford Primary School in Phoenix took top honours at a world coding championship this week.
The tournament, hosted by Tangible Africa, was held virtually on Tuesday, the 10th death anniversary of former president Nelson Mandela.
Tangible Africa is an engagement project of the Nelson Mandela University’s Computing Sciences Department and the Leva Foundation, with the aim of introducing coding and robotics concepts to schoolchildren.
Tangible Africa is a non-profit organisation that strives to spread coding skills to as many children as possible across the world.
Sunford Primary’s team was made up of Veer Hiramun, in Grade 6, and Grade 7 pupils: Harini Moodley, Sonam Raghubeer, Aditi Deonarain and Ndalwenhle Ngidi. They competed against 55 teams from 21 countries, including Finland, Germany, Croatia and Zimbabwe.
Pupils had to practise on coding apps called Rangers, Tanks and Boats. The apps have interactive challenges. The coders needed to direct an object to reach a destination. Teams were given 40 minutes to finish 11 levels. The winning team completed all the levels in the least amount of time.
Mohamed Taariq Yusuf, co-ordinator of the coding programme at Sunford Primary, said Phoenix schools lacked many resources, especially those that were technological.
“Despite these challenges, these pupils have excelled. Pupils in Phoenix were introduced to coding through Tangible Africa’s unplugged coding programme last year. This programme enabled the children to build a solid foundation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution through coding.
“Sunford Primary excelled with this programme and its competition due to the dedication from all members involved. Pupils and teachers trained during holidays, weekends and after school. Teachers prepared the pupils with unseen levels and strategies to win each tournament.
“Sunford’s passion and dedication to coding earned them great success throughout this year. It is the first time the school has won an international tournament. Being a public school from a developing country makes this win even more superb, considering that we beat many First World countries. We have made history,” said Yusuf.
Aditi said participating in this competition had been a roller-coaster of emotions and a nerve wrecking experience.
“Winning and being world champions were the most enjoyable part. Throughout this journey of coding and robotics, I learnt that it’s not the final moment that matters but rather the moments that lead up to it. Our teachers motivated and supported us throughout the journey of coding and complexity,” she said.
Ndalwenhle said he had fun and enjoyed solving the levels with his team.
“There was definitely teamwork, skills and co-operation among the team,” he said.
Veer said the experience was enjoyable, adding that he personally enjoyed completing each level and seeing the character follow the code.
“Before I entered the competition, I was a rather quiet learner, so this experience really opened me up to talking and co-operating with my team,” he said.
Harini said there were many emotions during the competition, from happiness to stress and anxiety.
“It all paid off. The most enjoyable thing was forming close relationships with my teammates. I learnt the basic foundation of coding, and I hope to carry the knowledge gained this year into future endeavours,” she said.
Sonam said she never imagined that her school could win an international tournament.
“But we did it and it was an amazing learning experience. The entire competition has been exciting with friendly rivalry, and discovering the value of teamwork and good sportsmanship. Coding and robotics are important for the future,” she said.
Rajes Naidu, the school’s principal, said it was an outstanding achievement and a wonderful accolade to Sunford Primary.
“As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, we feel elated to have our pupils emerge as champions in the coding tournament. The commitment and enthusiasm displayed by the pupils have placed our school on the world map and this is truly phenomenal.
“Equally important is the unparalleled dedication of the lead teacher, Mr Yusuf, who exudes passion in his training programme together with a very committed band of teachers on his team,” said Naidu.
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