Unesco recognises Kenya as first country in Africa to accredit coding lessons
Pupils at St Mary’s Primary School in Nakuru have a feel of the tablets given to them under the digital learning programme on May 5, 2016. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) has recognised Kenya as the first African country to introduce coding as a subject in primary and secondary schools under the new competency-based curriculum.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) has recognised Kenya as the first African country to introduce coding as a subject in primary and secondary schools under the new competency-based curriculum.
In a report titled 'Technology in Education: A Tool on Whose Terms?" released on Wednesday, Unesco praised the country for its support of digital literacy in the new curriculum.
The report examines the impact of technology on education by surveying school systems around the world.
“Kenya has become the first African country to incorporate coding as a subject in primary and secondary schools under the new competency-based curriculum. The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development has approved a coding skills curriculum developed by Kodris Africa, a for-profit company, for children aged 7 to 16 in the Python programming language that focuses on algorithms, debugging and logical operators (Kodris, 2023),” the report states.
A global survey estimates that 43 per cent of students in high-income countries, 62 per cent in upper-middle-income countries and five per cent in lower-middle-income countries take Computer Science as a compulsory subject at primary and/or secondary level. However, this is not the case in low-income countries.
#TechOnOurTerms
The report, released alongside a #TechOnOurTerms campaign, adds that given the low level of digital skills in the global population and the ever-increasing complexity of the digital world, countries urgently need to define digital skills and decide how best to increase them among their citizens.
Increasing digital skills at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels is an important part of broadening technology adoption and growing a lucrative digital economy.
The Economic Survey 2021 report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that information, communication and technology (ICT) is one of the top 10 contributors to Kenya's gross domestic product (GDP).
It details that despite the pandemic, the value of ICT sector output to Kenya's GDP increased by 2.5 per cent to Sh538.3 billion in 2020, more than doubling from Sh258 billion in 2019.
It also notes that in previous estimates, Kenya's revised GDP figures underestimated ICT's contribution to the economy due to shortcomings in the data measurement process.
KICD
Approved by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) and developed in partnership with educational technology company Kodris Africa, the curriculum is part of the National Digital Master Plan for 2022-2032.
Kodris Africa is the provider of Kenya's first government-approved programme for teaching coding, now the most in-demand skill in the world, which is not only classified as curriculum support material at KICD but is also applicable to students in all other modern education systems.
The programme is also internationally accredited by Pearson, the world's largest education company.
KICD has approved the programme to teach coding, which is now being rolled out in the country.
The programme is online and individuals can purchase licences so that students who have access to computers and the internet at home can access the programme.
Speaking last year during the Jamhuri Innovation and Tech Summit at the Kenya International Convention Center in Nairobi, President William Ruto said the entire tech ecosystem will become part of Kenya’s curriculum from elementary school to university.
The president said by teaching learners problem-solving skills early, through coding, they are better prepared for the contemporary world job market.
“This is to ensure that the entire tech ecosystem becomes part of our curriculum from elementary school to university. This fifth Jamhuri is dedicated to innovation and technology as Kenya must no longer underestimate the power of innovation and technology. Because of this, we need to know how to grow our technology from primary school. You have heard about coding that is now going to be part of our curriculum to ensure technology becomes part of our journey from primary school all the way to university,” he said.
On his part, Safaricom PLC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Ndegwa said they have partnered with Kodris Africa to help schools entrench digital skills in their learning.
“The future is about seeking skills that help young people find relevant jobs. As Safaricom, we have joined others to create an industry-wide digital program to help schools and partners like Kodris Africa focus on coding. We also provide an ecosystem to enhance these skills. For example, in the M-Pesa ecosystem, we have over 52,000 developers working on this system and that is job creation,” Ndegwa said.
Kodris' website also explains the need for coding at an early age, saying: "Algorithmic thinking, analytical and critical thinking, as well as problem-solving and design-oriented thinking, are considered the skills of our time. Many developed countries have recognised the importance of these skills and have made radical changes to their education systems.”
