By Raisa Okwaras
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has approved a new curriculum that will see primary and secondary school children taking classes in coding.
This is a win for Kenya and its education system as it will see Kenya be the first country in Africa to implement such a forward-looking implementation.
Kodris Africa is the company that was given the go-ahead to offer the coding syllabus by KICD. The online publishing company focuses on arming learners and interested parties with handy skills for the 21st Century and beyond.
“In the past, coding was conceived as a high-level activity yet children can start engaging in early learning levels,” stated KICD’s Chief Executive Professor Charles Ong’ondo in a statement by The Standard on Tuesday, April 19, 2022.
The Chief Executive was also quick to state that this move will help impart children with relevant problem-solving skills. It will in turn enable them to be leaders in their fields rather than consumers and followers. As a result, it will put them on par with their colleagues in developed countries.
Mugumo Munene, who is the CEO of Kodris Africa, has stated that in order to make it a sustainable success story, they are involving parties from different scopes. He mentions being in talks with relevant parties, including telecommunication companies and banks.
“When students learn to code, they can become producers in this 21st century digital age rather than merely consume what is created by others,” said the CEO.
CEO Mugumo Munene added that introducing the coding syllabus will see promote technology in the country. This is in line with the government’s effort on the same thanks to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s digital literacy program that was launched in 2016.
Apart from Kenya, Kodris Africa is offering the same coding syllabus to 48 other countries in the African continent. They have put in work to ensure that the syllabus is easy to use and understand, making it convenient for any schoolteacher to be averse to the same.