Twelve top learners proved their data skills at the tenth Applications Olympiad during the winter school vacation.
These high achievers were the best of the 5 530 who competed during two school-based rounds held in May. At the four-hour Finals in Cape Town they used a large database of athletics track and field performances to draft a final programme without events clashing.
For ten years this Olympiad has challenged learners to apply their knowledge of the subject CAT (Computer Applications Technology) in ways they may not have been taught. It tests inventive skill with word documents, spreadsheets and databases.
Since the ‘designated list’ of school subjects was scrapped in 2018, the demand for CAT is growing for the essential skills it teaches for further study, work or self-employment.
For the gala awards dinner in Cape Town,15 parents travelled from five provinces. While five parents were local, the other parents travelled approximately 25 000km to celebrate the learners’ accomplishments. The furthest afield were Abner and Rosina Mokgotu from Western Limpopo whose daughter Gopolang from Ellisras High School was the second finalist from Limpopo to reach the finals of the Applications Olympiad in a decade.
At the event, Microsoft’s Robbi Laurenson said that the IT industry is looking for authentic professionals whose solutions meet current needs, but who also think ethically about how their innovations affect ordinary people.
IITPSA director Moira de Roche quoted a recent survey of South Africa’s most attractive employers 2019. The survey, she said, found that “South Africa’s talent pool wants professional training and development, leadership opportunities, inspiring leadership, and ethics in the workplace”.
Tapiwa Chikwanda of Michaelhouse (KwaZulu-Natal) received the gold medal and the IITPSA trophy from Brian Schreuder, head of the Western Cape Education Department. Tapiwa enjoys “all things computer-related” and also excels at music (guitar and marimba) and visual art. He also won a bronze medal in the Applications Olympiad two years ago while only in Grade 9.
Two silver medals were awarded. One went to Yasmeen Noor De Villiers, of Islamia College in Cape Town. Now in matric, Yasmeen Noor says she enjoys karate, tennis and badminton but does not “have time for them at the moment”. Having been inspired by a robotics course she did at MIT while visiting the US a few years ago, she plans to study Computer Science at UCT.
The second silver medal went to Willem Wannenburg from the Outeniqua High School in George. Willem, who thinks he is “one of the few people left who find mathematics beautiful”, has his eyes set on becoming a statistician and will study Mathematical Statistics at Stellenbosch University. He also has a national gold medal for ballroom dancing and includes acting and music in his repertoire of skills.
Three bronze medals were awarded. Both of Gauteng’s bronze medal winners intend to study in the Sciences. Avian du Plessis of Hoërskool Randburg, who holds national colours for target shooting, plans to study Actuarial Science. Heather Wimberley, an all-rounder from Brescia House with colours for sport (orienteering and hockey) and music (grade 8 Merit for alto saxaphone), plans to study Mechatronics. The third bronze medal went to Arno de Beer from Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch. Arno plans to study Computer Science at Stellenbosch University and has an idea to start an IT training school.
Invariably, those who reach this level come from schools with enthusiastic CAT teachers who are keen to stretch their learners’ skills and vision. During their time in Cape Town the 12 finalists were led by lecturer Gwamaka Mwalemba, of the UCT Information Systems Department, on a tour to enlighten them on the wide range of courses available in the Information Sciences – including commerce, law and computer science.
According to Computer Olympiad manager Michael Cameron, “a key goal of the Computer Olympiads is to stimulate high school learners to equip themselves to participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Africa”.