Stakeholders have shown commitment to incorporating coding as a subject of study starting from the primary school level.
Coding is the process of translating human intentions into computer-understandable commands.
The lessons are delivered to learners through interactive online classroom platforms.
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) approved coding in the curriculum.
In the past President William Ruto has said that integrating coding lessons into the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) will give students computer programming skills crucial to kickstarting the fourth industrial revolution.
The Head of State said that coding will be incorporated into the curriculum in order to increase the learners’ technical literacy from the elementary level up to college.
Graceland Schools in Nyahururu became the first private school this week to implement comprehensive coding instruction for all grade levels starting this month.
Grace Mwaura, the school’s director lauded the government for allowing coding to be taught in Kenyan schools saying that this will be the foundation of a thriving economy.
“We are happy to be at the forefront of Kenya’s education system by recognizing the signification of digital literacy and coding in the twenty-first century. Our students will now have the chance to gain vital skills that will equip them for success in today’s world of rapid change,” she said.
She said that the schools are committed to giving students a comprehensive education that prepares them for the difficulties and opportunities of future job markets.
“Full deployment of KICD-approved coding lessons is just one day in which the school is living up to this commitment to learners, parents, the community, and the national,” she added.
On his part the Chief Executive Officer of Safaricom said that in a digital world, we must come up with a digital industrial program that enables us to equip our learners with the skills needed in the future.
Employers all over the world are increasingly demanding a digitally savvy labor force as a result of the rapid transformation brought about by technology.
It is expected that by the year 2023, half of all occupations in the country will require some level of digital skills. This will be caused by demand being driven by businesses that embrace digital technologies.
Countries like the United States, China, England, Germany, and France among many others in the industrialized world have allowed coding to be taught to first-grade learners.