The first round of the South African Programming Olympiad, which has developed top programming skills for over 35 years, will run from July 27 to 31.
Michael Cameron, manager of the SA Computer Olympiad said coding contests at schools can help to build the twin skills of problem-solving and programming.
Any programming language may be used, which include the most popular Scratch, Python, Java and Delphi/Pascal.
Cameron explained that the 2020 Olympiad is online only where answers are evaluated automatically, and no marking is required by the teacher. Learners will upload their programmes before they log off at the end of the hour.
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He added that the effects of Covid-19 may limit the number of learners that schools can enter. Yet the SA Computer Olympiad believes there is good reason to run the Olympiad in 2020.
“It contributes to future-proofing South Africa. Building the data skills of today’s teens can help South Africa develop beyond the pandemic,” says Cameron. “Today, entrepreneurs are looking for young programmers. They see the benefit of having tech-savvy teens in business. It is best to start young – some primary schools enter Grade Seven learners,” Cameron said.
The six medal winners from the final round will be invited to training.
This is to develop and select a team of four to take part in the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) the following year. South Africa is one of the 88 countries taking part in the first-ever online IOI this year in mid-September.
Schools may enter even during the actual week of the contest.
Register at: https://olympiad.org.za/programming-olympiad/register/
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