Coding for kids

Coding for kids has been a topic of discussion nowadays. After probing, I found that it all started a couple of months ago when Education technology firm Byju’s acquired WhiteHat Jr, a startup focused on imparting coding skills to kids. It was a whooping deal of USD 300 million (about ₹2,240 crores). The new education policy also stresses teaching coding skills from early classes, as perceived by the founder. Does the NEP really say so? How important is coding in today’s technological and progressive milieu? Are these opportunities equally and easily accessible to all the kids? In this article, we have tried to touch on all the aspects of this concept.

We all know how technology is driving in today’s world. It is self-explanatory and not required to be discussed separately. Hence, learning to code is the need of the hour. There are various coding platforms that teach coding to kids from elementary schools, such as Whitehat Jr, 98^thpercentile, CodaKid, Codeacademy, etc., Parents and students have started realizing that coding is an important future skill. That is the reason why this is a new and fast-spreading area of business in our country. Although, this concept is not new to foreign countries such as the US, UK, and other developed countries. There are already various platforms in foreign countries working on teaching coding skills to kids, both governmental and nongovernmental. For example, ‘Scratch’ is an MIT-developed graphical programming language, based on drag-and-drop programming basics so kids can easily create interactive stories, comics, and more.

Here, few questions arise – What should be the minimum age to start learning to code? Isn’t it cruel for kids to make them sit in front of a screen while they should be playing outside? The answer to the second question is –Next generation is always smarter and more upgraded than the previous generation – both nature wise and evolution wise. To keep up with the present technology, kids need to learn to code, develop gaming apps, etc. But it should not be a burden to them. The syllabus should be designed in such a manner that it should be easy to grasp and digestible. Methods of teaching should be customized as per different standards/classes of kids, in such a manner that their screen time should be minimal and playtime should not be compromised.

To find the answer to the first question, we need to dig up a bit more.

Coding is already taught in our schools from class 6 in the form of Qbasic, HTML, etc, as a part of the syllabus. It’s time to review and update the syllabus of schools to accommodate new topics.

Recognizing the importance of coding skills in today’s context, our government is also making efforts towards it. Coding has been separately mentioned in National Education Policy, among other things. It is mentioned as one of the research requirements for creating beneficial linkages among government, industry, and researchers. Activities involving coding are planned to be introduced in class 6 to 8, the Middle Stage of the new 5+3+3+4 structure (image in last).

However, these education reforms are going to take time. The NEP only provides a broad direction and is not mandatory to follow. Education is defined as a concurrent subject in our constitution. It means both the Centre and the state governments can make laws on it. Hence the reforms proposed can only be implemented collaboratively by the Centre and the states. The implementation deadline decided by the government for the NEP is 2040.

The up-gradation in the syllabus is required, but what is more crucial in improving the accessibility of learning material to every kid. Coding or any other skill like that needs to be taught to rural kids as much as it is required for urban kids. As per the latest data released by the National Statistical Organisation (NSO), India’s average literacy rate is 77.7%. That means, 22.3% of our population is still illiterate. The priority should be shifted to fill this gap first. During the present pandemic situation, many schools have been closed, and online study, which seems a piece of cake to the middle and upper-class urban population, is in fact very problematic and hardly accessible to most of our village population. The internet facility is not so easily available to a big fraction of kids, so accessing online material is very, very difficult for them. The ground reality is even harsher and scarier than we think. In such an atmosphere, where kids are deprived of network and devoid of devices, they cannot even think of learning advanced coding skills. Our government has really done a great job by improving the education policy, although, its successful and uniform implementation in its true senses is a subject to be focused upon so that even remote area kids can take the benefit of it. Then only we can bring our country at par with the world in terms of technology. Then only India will be a knowledge superpower, which is the goal of our New Education Policy consultation.

To summarise, learning coding is one of the crucial skills in today’s context, hence it is required to be taught. Coding is a great way to develop the creative thinking of a child. This skill gives kids the power to solve real-world problems by applying logical reasoning. It is a personality development aspect. However, it should not be imposed on the first standard. Even science and arts are not introduced in very early classes but introduced in a gradual manner. The sixth standard is an ideal time to introduce coding in the syllabus. Also, it should be optional and should not be force-fed. This should only be pursued by a kid only if he or she has a drive for learning to code. There are various career options available and one can be successful only by hard work and consistency. Learning a particular skill doesn’t guarantee success. Regular hard work does.