South Africa did not introduce coding into schools. It declared it. The announcement sounded progressive, even visionary, but it masked a harder truth.
Coding became compulsory before the system had the people, tools or time to deliver it. What followed was not transformation but expectation without preparation, writes Logiscool Ruimsig director Semone Peacock.
By embedding coding and robotics into the curriculum, the Department of Basic Education created the impression that learners are being equipped for a digital economy. In many classrooms, however, nothing fundamental has changed.
Teachers remain under trained, infrastructure remains inconsistent and coding is often reduced to theory or worksheets. The subject exists on policy documents long before it exists in practice.
This disconnect matters because coding is not symbolic. It is practical, cumulative and skill based. Without trained educators, functional technology and dedicated teaching time, compulsory coding risks becoming a box ticking exercise that reassures policymakers and parents while delivering very little to learners.
Research from the World Economic Forum shows that more than half of today’s learners will require significant reskilling in technology driven roles. The intent is correct. The timing and readiness are not.
Most public schools are already under pressure. Teachers are stretched across large classes and multiple learning areas. Many have not received formal training in coding concepts, programming logic or digital pedagogy. Infrastructure remains uneven.
According to government and industry data, thousands of schools still lack adequate computer access, while others rely on outdated equipment shared across grades. Coding requires more than a syllabus. It requires confidence, repetition and practical application. Without this foundation, learners quickly fall behind.
This is where the risk becomes real. Coding is not like history or life orientation where gaps can be patched later. It is cumulative. Miss the basics and everything that follows becomes harder. Learners who struggle early often disengage completely.
The uncomfortable truth is that children in better resourced schools or homes will adapt faster, while others will quietly be left behind. A subject designed to close opportunity gaps may widen them instead.
Parents are already sensing this tension. Many assume that because coding is now a school subject, their child is covered. In practice, classroom exposure is often minimal, theoretical or inconsistent. This is not a failure of schools. It is a structural mismatch between policy ambition and delivery capacity. Curriculum reform without execution support creates pressure without progress.
This is why after school learning models will determine whether coding education succeeds or stalls in South Africa. Independent research from OECD education studies consistently shows that supplementary learning environments significantly improve outcomes in complex skills such as mathematics, language acquisition and digital literacy.
Coding fits this profile perfectly. It thrives in small groups, guided practice and project-based learning that schools struggle to sustain within limited timetables.
Logiscool operates precisely in this execution gap. While schools grapple with rollout, Logiscool already delivers a structured, age-appropriate coding curriculum used internationally. Its programmes are designed to build logical thinking before jumping into syntax, ensuring that learners understand how technology works rather than simply copying commands.
Instructors are trained specifically to teach coding to children, not just to code themselves. Classes run in equipped environments with tools that mirror real world applications, from game development to app logic and artificial intelligence concepts.
The difference is not criticism. It is readiness. Logiscool is not positioned as a replacement for schools but as the partner that makes policy workable. Where the curriculum says coding must happen, Logiscool shows how it can happen effectively, consistently and without overburdening teachers or parents.
South Africa has made the right decision by recognising coding as a core skill. The next phase will determine whether it becomes a genuine equaliser or another subject that rewards those with extra support. Coding is now compulsory. Meaningful access to coding is not. That gap is where outcomes will be decided.