The 2022 Bett Show (British Educational Training and Technology Show) was the talk of the town amongst teachers and ed-tech service providers. The Bett Show’s main focus this year was to provide its community with world-class content, create networking opportunities, and accelerate trade in the ed-tech industry. This was the first in-person Bett Show since 2019, and I was eager to find out what all the buzz was about. 

 

Having participated in multiple local ed-tech conferences, I was extremely curious to see how those compared to the global scene. I attended Bett with three clear-cut objectives: to validate Resolute’s approach and implementation, to investigate how other educational service providers have successfully implemented their programmes in schools, and finally to keep up with the new and upcoming trends in the ed-tech industry. London has always been a special place for me. The last time I was there (2014) I was watching Roger Federer grace the courts at Wimbledon. Apart from getting my fill of live sports, I marveled at London’s underground railway system and how efficiently they move millions of people across the city daily.

 

 With all the built-up excitement of my last trip, I arrived at Bett... and was not disappointed. There were 20 000 visitors with over 400 service providers from 50 different countries. I felt like a kid at Disneyland.

 

The agenda was filled with exhibits by innovative companies and fascinating talks by leading ed-tech experts around the world. I was intrigued by some of the topics of discussion: 

■ Leading a digital strategy beyond crisis response 

■ Transforming pedagogy: Rethinking pedagogy in the wake of technological disruption 

■ Get equipped for a blended learning future 

■ Empowering students with solutions that are inclusive by design 

■ Tech in classrooms: Bringing the curriculum to life 

■ How to support your school community to enhance children’s learning and living outcomes 

■ Sustainably scaling EdTech in low resource countries 

■ Inspiring and enabling the next generation of innovators 

■ Accelerating learning to help all learners engage, catch up, keep up and get ahead 

■ Learning’s not just for kids: Adapting to change through positive CPD culture 

 

In the several talks presented, I noticed the lack of emphasis placed on physical hardware products such as robotic kits. This came as no surprise. As important as products are, the success of implementing new subjects such as coding and robotics is highly dependent on a sound pedagogy, a progressive and engaging curriculum, teacher-centered training programmes and ongoing support. This builds a stronger case for getting buy-in from multiple stakeholders such as students, teachers, principals and student governing bodies (SGBs). 

 

I was expecting the UK and other first world countries to offer creative solutions for successfully implementing coding and robotics in their schools, but to my surprise the narrative was not much different to the challenges we face in South Africa: 

■ Uncertainty on where to start 

■ Lack of upskilling teachers who are often hesitant about the technical challenges the subject brings 

■ Robotic products are too expensive, especially if you are considering the idea of having a kit per child 

■ Schools are struggling to break the misconceptions and make robotics and coding an all-inclusive subject 

■ Lack of continuous support 

 

With that being said, I’m incredibly optimistic and proud of the journey we have embarked on in South Africa — making robotics and coding an in-curriculum subject. South Africa, along with Singapore, Goa, India and Victoria, Australia are some of the very few countries (outside of Europe and some US states) who have taken this ambitious step. Although we will face major challenges, we must be optimistic about our future. Sir Winston Churchill had it right when he said:

 

 “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”