The University of Pretoria’s (UP) Pre-University Academy collaborated with Hong Kong Polytechnic University to present an artificial intelligence (AI) pose recognition workshop.
The aim of the workshop was to promote literacy in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects among local youth.
The workshop was a joint initiative of UP’s Department of Computing and Hong Kong Polytechnic University's Service-Learning and Leadership Office.
UP said it was the fifth project that the Hong Kong Polytechnic University presented with the UP academy and learners from Mamelodi and the first in-person event; the previous four projects were conducted virtually.
The programme was presented by 30 Hong Kong students, with UP alumni Clement Mathebula, Onismo Mashinini and Bryce van de Kraats assisting.
Dr Martina Jordaan, the head of Community Engagement Research and Postgraduate Studies at UP’s Mamelodi campus, said Hong Kong University initiated the project and that it was part of an ongoing collaboration between the two institutions.
“The programme ran over six days, during which the learners were introduced to various aspects of artificial intelligence. On the last day, we held a competition where the learners had to demonstrate that they could implement their machine learning and block programming knowledge,” she said.
Jordaan said the competition also included an exercise that made use of one of the most common forms of Chinese qigong.
She said that they were proud to be part of the collaborative effort to educate the youth and promote science, technology, engineering and maths literacy.
“We hope that this initiative will inspire and encourage more students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics-related fields,” she added.
A Grade 12 learner from Tsaka Thabo Secondary School, Buang Buang, who attended all five projects, said the programme helped him believe that he could pursue a career in information technology.
“It was a pleasant journey for me; I believe that the programme will help me achieve my goals,” he said.
Alexander Ramjiawan, of Glen High School said he had an exhilarating and informative experience with the programme and had learnt a lot concerning programming and AI.
“I've met people that I've become close friends with, both local and foreign,” he added.
UP alumnus Clement Mathebula said the the project was insightful and enlightening, and it showed great capacity to teach and develop career paths.
“This project created a space of culture exchange and technological advancement for both Hong Kong students and learners in the Mamelodi community,” he said.
Jordaan also highlighted that the face-to-face project had created additional opportunities to grow and develop the relationship between the institutions.
“It was much better for the students and learners to work on the project in a face-to-face setting. The learners enjoyed interacting with the students, and it helped foster a strong bond between them."
The collaboration was valuable not only to UP but to learners in and around Mamelodi, Jordaan added.
“We look forward to maintaining and growing this partnership so that UP can continue to provide learning opportunities to members of the communities in which we live and work.”