On an everyday basis, we are surrounded by electronic devices which run on a code of some kind. The modern world is becoming heavily reliant on the internet with each passing day, leading to an increase in the requirement for a computer literate workforce.
Coding is now being considered as important as learning English or Math in schools. According to global trends, Israel adopted coding as a compulsory subject in 1994, and Japan in 2009. While Korea made coding education mandatory in 2015, Singapore’s education ministry also adopted coding as a compulsory subject for students at elementary and secondary levels in 2020.
The Indian government too, recently launched National Education Policy, 2020 that envisions basic coding literacy as a requirement for all students. It also places a strong emphasis on putting learning into action by introducing collaborative projects and internships.
In accordance with the NEP guidelines, CBSE has introduced coding as a subject in Grade 6-8 and Data Science in Grade 8-12 in collaboration with Microsoft from the academic year 2021-22. Exposing students at the K-12 level is a way of preparing them to adapt to the future.
The Government of India has also set a vision to ‘Cultivate one Million children in India as Neoteric Innovators’. Under the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Ayog is establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) in schools across India with the objective to foster curiosity, creativity, and imagination in young minds. The scheme aims to introduce STEM activities in schools to inculcate skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing, etc in students.
However, implementation bottlenecks owing to lack of infrastructure and trained teachers still remain. An amalgamation of e-learning platforms and mainstream education institutions can thus help in bridging this gap to ensure that the kids are not left behind in the 4th industrial revolution.
Comment in the section below and tell us what other steps can be taken to ensure smooth and early integration of coding within the schools.