The Department of Basic Education has stated that Coding and Robotics will not yet become mandatory subjects due to the need to first improve numeracy and literacy. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla) 
The national Department of Basic Education has indicated that Coding and Robotics will not become compulsory subjects in schools in the near future. According to its updated Annual Performance Plan for 2025/26, the introduction of these subjects will be gradually implemented depending on available resources and the preparedness of the schooling system.
While the Annual Performance Plan recognises the importance of these subjects for developing essential skills, it emphasises that the department’s primary focus remains on enhancing literacy and numeracy in the early grades (R to 3).
The plan highlights that if learners are unable to read with comprehension and perform basic arithmetic by Grade 4, they will encounter major difficulties when studying STEM-related (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects, including Coding and Robotics. Therefore, the limited resources must first be directed toward improving foundational learning outcomes before expanding the rollout of Coding and Robotics.
In a parliamentary response from September 2024, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube explained that the department planned to introduce Coding and Robotics in grades R, 1, 2, and 3 starting in 2025, subject to internal approval processes.
Lukhanyo Vangqa, Gwarube’s spokesperson, said that many schools and provincial education departments currently lacked the necessary resources to fully implement Coding and Robotics as mandatory subjects for all learners.
Annual Performance Plan
He added that the Annual Performance Plan reflected the challenging decisions around resource allocation and prioritisation within the basic education sector, especially given budget constraints after years of austerity. Vangqa noted that successfully implementing Coding and Robotics required substantial resources, such as well-trained teachers, adequate learning materials, and reliable IT equipment.
Given the current fiscal limitations, the sector must prioritise efforts to improve literacy and numeracy skills, which were the top priorities of the seventh administration. This focus was essential due to South Africa’s low literacy and numeracy rates, which hindered learners’ ability to engage with and excel in gateway subjects like Mathematics, Science, Technology, Accounting, Economics, and Coding and Robotics.
South Africa continues to face a severe literacy and numeracy crisis, particularly in the foundational early grades. Recent studies reveal that about 81% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning in any language, highlighting a critical gap in basic literacy skills essential for further learning. Numeracy skills are similarly weak, with South Africa ranking among the lowest performers in mathematics on international assessments such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, despite some progress over the past two decades.
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Education expert Professor Mary Metcalfe has stressed that tackling South Africa’s literacy crisis from the early years is essential to strengthening the entire education system. She said addressing the country’s literacy challenge from the foundation phase was fundamental to improving quality and efficiency across the system.
The data available on foundational literacy showed not only that children were not reaching the levels of reading performance required by the curriculum for success in primary school, but also that persistent inequalities in the conditions under which children learned to read continued to entrench disparities in reading achievement and shape unequal learning pathways and life opportunities.
Metcalfe said she supported the department’s current approach of focusing on foundational literacy and numeracy in grades R to 3, and not further crowding the curriculum with Coding and Robotics.
“If we’re going to address the massive national crisis of so many learners not being able to meet the minimum requirements of using reading for learning in Grade 4 — which has been shown in the department's systemic evaluation — we need to make sure that resources and teaching and learning time are focused on improving literacy and numeracy,” she said.
Stalled by shortfalls
The large-scale implementation of Coding and Robotics has been repeatedly delayed. These delays stem primarily from the scaling back or postponement of initially ambitious rollout plans, persistent infrastructural deficits in many schools (such as lack of computer labs and reliable internet), and the ongoing need for comprehensive teacher professional development to equip educators with the necessary skills to teach Coding and Robotics effectively.
Read more: SA schools shouldn’t wait to start teaching kids coding — here’s why
‘Literacy and digital skills must go hand in hand’
Education activist Hendrick Makaneta has raised concerns about the delay in fully implementing Coding and Robotics as a mandatory subject in schools, due to the importance of preparing learners for the demands of the digital era.
“While foundational literacy and numeracy are crucial, our learners also need skills for the digital age so that they can be equipped with skills required by the new world of work,” he said.
Makaneta added that a phased approach could work, but would need a clear timeline and plan for implementation.
“The department should prioritise building capacity and resources to support Coding and Robotics, ensuring all learners have access to these essential skills. Obviously most of the existing jobs will become obsolete,” he said.
Equal Education Law Centre Attorney Ebrahiem Daniels acknowledged the importance of foundational skills while also cautioning against neglecting digital readiness in the curriculum.
“While we are not curriculum experts, we believe the department’s prioritisation of foundational literacy and numeracy is critical in a context where 80% of Grade 4 learners in South Africa cannot read for meaning. These foundational skills are non-negotiable building blocks,” he said.
Daniels said the department’s decision highlighted fundamental tensions in the system as technology was advancing at an unprecedented pace, and there was a risk of creating a generation that was left behind in an increasingly digital world.
“Our view is that the challenge is not choosing between foundational skills and digital competency, but rather how we integrate both without compromising either. It is unfortunate that different aspects of our education system have to compete for limited resources, particularly because learners cannot afford for us to solve their challenges sequentially when the world demands we address them concurrently,” he said. DM