The Department of Information Technology at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), in partnership with Lenovo and Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM), are gearing up to host RoboGirl 2023, where 75 young girls will be trained on coding, robotics and the concepts of Internet of Things (IoT) from Monday, 04 December 2023 to Saturday, 09 December 2023.

This highly anticipated event will commence with the RoboGirl Opening Ceremony and Media Launch on Monday, 04 December 2023 at the DUT Ritson campus in Durban from 10h00 to 12h00.

According to Mr. Ebrahim Asmal, Senior Lecturer, Information Technology at DUT, the RoboGirl 2023 programme will consist of 75 girls who are in Grade 10 and 11. The girls come from 15 selected schools in the eThekwini area, mostly located in the historically disadvantaged communities.

“The girls will undergo three days of intensive training which will culminate into a competition between schools, where the girls will be given two days to design and develop an IoT solution. The teams’ projects will be judged on Saturday, 09 December 2023 by a panel of judges. This will allow the various teams to witness their peers’ innovation and different approaches to the challenges,” explained Mr. Asmal.

He further mentioned that DUT had embarked on this exciting partnership with Lenovo South Africa and TSAM, to prepare young girls for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and beyond. He believes the RoboGirl 2023 programme will advance their efforts of inculcating an interest in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and subsequently, bridging the gender gap.

Lenovo’s vision of providing ‘Smarter Technology for All’ is focused on empowering under-represented communities with access to technology and STEM education. Besides learning coding and robotics skills, learners will also develop critical thinking and problem-solving through theoretical and practical examples. They will further develop an attitude that encompasses teamwork, collaboration and sharing responsibility.

The Robo Girl 2023 will end on a high note with the Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony at the Elangeni Hotel on Saturday, 09 December 2023 from 17h00 onwards.

Pictured:The RoboGirls will get to interact with the DUT robot, Neo.

Photographer: Khulasande Tshayile.

Simangele Zuma