Last year, during his visit to India to open the first Apple Store, Apple CEO Tim Cook stressed the significance of coding education. He encouraged Indian students, including girls, to start learning coding early. Cook described coding as a universal language and urged more students to learn it to tackle real-world issues with innovative solutions.
In an interview with IANS, Cook highlighted the importance of including coding in school curriculums globally, including India. He explained how coding nurtures creativity and innovation, fostering connections in the digital age. Recognizing India’s youthful population, Cook saw potential for it to lead in technology by prioritizing coding education. He praised India’s government initiatives promoting digital literacy and coding skills development.
Numerous programs like Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) aim to enhance students’ creativity and innovation by providing access to advanced tools and technologies, improving coding and computational thinking skills. Uttar Pradesh’s education department recently announced plans to introduce coding, computational thinking, and AI fundamentals into the curriculum of state-run schools from 2024-25. Over 50 lakh students from Classes 6 to 8 in approximately 45,000 state-owned schools will participate. Once considered specialized skills, coding and computational abilities are now recognized as crucial cognitive tools for holistic learner development.
The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has introduced a new course to complement the existing science curriculum. Tailored for Class 6 students, it covers Microsoft Word proficiency, basic programming skills like Python, and other computer science essentials. Additionally, students in Classes 7-8 will learn networking, cyber security, logical reasoning, Microsoft Excel proficiency, data management, and introductory AI concepts. SCERT has crafted textbooks for all three classes, which will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.