After completing a computer science lesson at Berkeley, this man from Zimbabwe decided to give his fellow students free online coding classes. He hopes to help others earn scholarships and discover hidden talents.
Establishing Free Online Coding Classes
Eric Khumalo didn’t know what to learn in Zimbabwe. Yet, one chance saved him – he applied for the classes in the U.S.-sponsored school near his hometown of Bulawayo and started to learn to code. Inspired by the knowledge the first lessons gave him, Khumalo didn’t hesitate. He started Emzini WeCode, an education program for the Zimbabwe locals. Then, his outstanding experience birthed free online coding classes. Currently, his students earn scholarships around the world. More than 1,000 students are excited to learn coding in Emzini WeCode. “I graduated high school in 2018, and within the government, there was a shortage of STEM teachers, so I applied for a year and a half,” Khumalo explained.
“I taught at three high schools and got accepted into UC Berkeley on a scholarship from the Mastercard Foundation. I wanted to study so many things! I was going to go with chemistry, I was just like ‘okay, I really need to understand how these molecules behave.’” Luckily enough, the student met an incredible professor, who helped him start learning to code. He inspired Khumalo with his skills, especially making games. Everything can be possible in the hands of a coder – Khumalo knew that this power was possible to take ahold of. Nandi Siluma, a teaching assistant at Emzini, took classes at Emzini WeCode. Now, she’s a Northwestern University junior. “The end goal is to have every child in Zimbabwe, and Africa, knowing how to write, interpret, and manipulate code,” said Siluma.
Learn How To Code And Get Scholarship
There’s another prominent teaching assistant, who was one of the first in Khumalo’s school – Proud Npala. “I do feel like I am part of a movement to reduce the knowledge gap between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres; that is why I joined Emzini WeCode because I am passionate about sharing learning opportunities with others,” he said. After free online coding classes, he landed a scholarship at Stanford. He and other members of the team hope to extend knowledge to Zimbabweans in need. For once, there will be more job opportunities in the country. Most of the locals go to work in South Africa, and the positions are illegal. “Through Emzini WeCode at least my number one goal is to change the mindset, to tell more young people that they can create things, that they can have ideas that can scale and to get jobs,” Khumalo stated.
Although there are a lot of students in the coding school, the classes are either cheap or free of charge. Paid classes cost around $2 a month – for essential streaming data. The school owner understands that the youth has financial problems, and wants to open a world of opportunities for them. In case he doesn’t, these teens and young adults will look for illegal jobs in other countries. Khumalo beams with pride watching his students achieve so much after his free online coding classes, especially when it comes to scholarships. Now, he’s designing a computer science curriculum for high schools.
“If one of my students can get into Stanford, then ten of my students should get into Stanford,” he said.
Sources: Good News Network