Teaching coding in schools unlock future employment opportunities

KENYA: 

With the vast developments experienced in technology, no one is left behind, including children. The onset of Covid-19 accelerated internet use as children learned and interacted with others online. Adults worked from home using laptops and smartphones among other gadgets.   

Indeed, this remarkable move has simplified operations, reduced congestion in the offices, and minimized coasts through transport.

Notably, the government of Kenya has been at the forefront of ensuring children enjoy technology.

Through the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, the government has approved a new syllabus and coding for teaching in primary and secondary schools.

The chief executive of KICD notes that coding enables children to imagine, create, and solve problems since it is a practical thinking activity.

In the quest, Kodris Africa, an online publishing firm that specializes in equipping learners with 21st-century skills such as creative problem solving and algorithmic thinking right from the elementary level will be in charge of offering classes.   

Kenya, therefore, stands to be the first country in Africa to offer such a syllabus.

Other countries offering coding in schools across the globe include Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Lithuania, Malta, Spain, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom.

The laudable attempt to educate children technically sets them in a better position for upcoming future jobs.

Other countries are in the race to adopt coding in their education curriculum to avoid children’s future displacement by robots and machines and safely land in the right careers.

In the era where the country is facing increased unemployment, investing in technology becomes the topmost priority.

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Notably, Kenya is among the leading countries on the continent with millions of people subscribed to the internet. This has made leading multinational companies like Google set up their offices in Nairobi. Other giant companies are making considerations such as Amazon. All will require skilled people to be employed.  

The technological changes taking place everywhere require coding for successful innovation.

Instead of waiting until an advanced learning institution to learn the crucial skill, the country is now making it available in primary and secondary schools, just like learning Mathematics or English.

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In advanced learning institutions, it coasted at least Sh126, 000 to have the best training on coding in renowned institutions.

The charges have made a lot of people go without studying the crucial skill.

I am a product of students who came out of the university without knowing how to code. It took me extra effort and funds to learn. Many find this unnecessary; thus, finding it difficult to navigate in the world of technology, paying a lot for simple tasks. 

Israel, for instance, teaches children how to code from kindergarten, which shows how much shaping the mentality of kids and giving them the chance to understand the world they are living in is important from the beginning. It has stood the test of time by being among powerful nations with sophisticated weapons.