​Stellenbosch University (SU) established its School for Data Science and Computational Thinking in July 2019. Striving to be a world-class institution for data science and computational thinking in and for Africa, one of the School's aims is to build capacity in this field in South Africa and on the rest of the continent. To this end, the School launched its African Data Science Academy in June 2020 and wasted no time to present its first offerings in partnership with SU International's African Doctoral Academy (ADA) the very next month.

Multiple universities across the globe have identified data science as a very important discipline because of the data-rich world we live in, which has triggered a race to set up data science-focused schools. But according to Prof Kanshukan Rajaratnam, director of SU's School for Data Science and Computational Thinking, SU has a competitive edge. “Thanks to our leadership, SU has deviated from the norm in a unique manner. The School is set up to focus not only on data science, but computational thinking as well, thereby offering a unique value proposition to students, researchers and industry. I am excited to be part of shaping and growing what is an important part of the University's future."

As the amount of data we create continues to grow, so does the demand for personnel who can make sense of the data. To address this skills gap locally, the South African government aims to train a million data scientists by 2030. The School's efforts to upskill individuals to work in this field are set to make a critical contribution in this regard.

The African Data Science Academy's first offering comprised two courses, “Introduction to data science" and “Introduction to statistics and R". The courses are taught by SU's own world-class academics and administered by SU International's high-impact ADA, which has been arranging and hosting schools with delegates from South Africa and the rest of the continent since 2009. The ADA's contribution in planning, marketing and managing the logistics and administration of the workshops ensured the successful completion of the inaugural offering of the African Data Science Academy. As expected, demand was high both from within and outside the University, and both online courses were oversubscribed. A repeat of these offerings is anticipated in the near future.

Feedback on the online courses has been generally positive, both in terms of content and the online mode of presentation. In fact, many delegates indicated that they preferred the online format, as it enabled them to attend from the comfort of their home institutions, saving on travel and accommodation costs. 

The School for Data Science and Computational Thinking is putting together a programme mix for implementation in the second half of 2020, including courses in Python programming and higher-level courses in data science and computational thinking. Those interested in future offerings are invited to keep an eye on the School's website for course announcements.