Why Parents and Schools should encourage Youngsters to Learn Coding
The ability to code is fast becoming as important as reading and writing - It is the New Literacy
Competition
Situation
It is every parent's desire to give their children the best possible education and experience at the best institutions in this world.
Currently, in addition to the regular curriculum of some schools in North America, Europe and South-East Asia, which is quite comparable to that of some good schools in Ghana, is computer programming. These schools and their governments have placed such an importance on the skills and benefits gained from computer programming that some are even proposing legislation to make it a core subject in schools. Thus, placing computer programming in the ranks of Mathematics, English and Science.
It is inevitable that at some stages of the children's lives, they will be competing with others from across the world for places into the reputable colleges, universities and companies.
Solution
Kids from Ghana stand a better chance of coming out victorious if they have acquired, all things being equal, at least the same level of education, skill and experience as the competition.
Youngsters in Ghana must also learn computer programming so that they will be, as best as possible, at par with their contemporaries in the developed world to stay in the competition.
It will be most unfortunate for youngsters from Ghana, should they lose to the competition for a place into these institutions, if the only edge the competition has over them is the skills and benefits gained from computer programming.
Productivity
Situation
The children are very much interested in the use of computing devices (desktops, laptops, tablet computers, and smart phones). They are also very conversant with their use, and so spend a lot of their spare time on their newly found interest. It is probably the first thing they reach out for in the morning or after school, and the last thing they let go before retiring to bed at night.
Most of the time they spend on the computer is to communicate with their friends, access information, share information and play games. Spending some time on these activities is good, but spending a lot of time on these activities is certainly not prudent use of anyone's time.
Solution
Permitting and encouraging the children to spend some of their spare time engaging in activities that develop their imaginative ability, thought process, creativity, problem solving ability, can-do attitude will be a more productive option, by far. Computer programming is one such activity.
By learning compute programming the kids do not only become consumers of what they have grown to love, being technology, but also creators of technology. Computer programming also happens to be easy to understand and fun to learn too.
Parents
Sign up your wards for any of our courses.
Schools
Get us to organise CodeCamp at your school.