OLYMPIADS IN INFORMATICS, 2008, Vol. 2, 105-114
© Institute of Mathematics and Informatics,

ISSN 1822-7732

Challenges in Running a Computer Olympiad in South Africa

Bruce MERRYa, Marco GALLOTTAb, Carl HULTQUISTb

aARM Ltd 110 Fulbourn Road, Cambridge, CB1 9NJ, England E-mail: bmerry@gmail.com

bDepartment of Computer Science, University of Cape Town Private Bag, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town, South Africa E-mail: marco@gallotta.co.za, chultquist@gmail.com

Abstract

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in South Africa lags behind that of the developed world, which poses challenges in running the South African Computer Olympiad (SACO). We present the three-round structure of the SACO as it is run today, focusing on the challenges it faces and the choices we have made to overcome them. We also include a few statistics and some historical background to the Olympiad, and sample questions may be found in the appendix.

Keywords:

digital divide, olympiad in informatics, problem solving, South Africa, SACO


PDFTo preview full article text in PDF format click here

Get Free ReaderYou could obtain free Acrobat Reader from Adobe


Copyright © Olympiads in Informatics, Vilnius University Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, 2008