Unesco Recognizes Kenya’s Coding Curriculum
Kenya has been recognized by the United Nations as the first nation in Africa to approve curriculum for teaching computer programming in schools of both primary and secondary education.
In a report released on Wednesday, Unesco praised the nation for its support of digital literacy in the new curriculum.
The ‘Technology in Education: A Tool on Whose Terms?’ report analyzes the impact of technology on education by surveying school systems worldwide.
The report states that under the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), Kenya has become the first African nation to include coding as a subject in primary and secondary institutions.
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development has approved Kodris Africa’s Python programming language curriculum for children aged seven to sixteen, .
Coding, also known as programming, is the act of instructing a computer to carry out particular duties.
As technology advances, there is a growing demand for competent tech professionals such as software developers, web designers, and data analysts.
Learning to code opens up numerous career opportunities in industries ranging from healthcare to finance to the entertainment industry.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the number of computer and information technology jobs will increase by 13% between 2021 and 2031, significantly faster than the average for all occupations.
A global review estimated that 43% of students in high-income countries, 62% in upper-middle-income countries, and 5% in lower-middle-income countries are required to pursue computer science in primary and/or secondary education.
This is not the case in countries with poor incomes.
The report was published alongside the #TechOnOurTerms initiative.
It provides policymakers with a compass for making these decisions. Those in positions of authority are urged to assess whether the technology they use is appropriate for their environment and learning requirements.
The report requests that they consider those left behind to ensure that they are concentrating on the marginalized.
Given the low levels of digital skills among the global population and the ever-increasing complexity of the digital world, the UN report states that countries must urgently define digital skills and determine the most effective means of increasing them among their citizens.
Unesco Recognizes Kenya’s Coding Curriculum