Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

With the approval of a novel coding syllabus in the country, three corporate organisations have embarked on a programme to expand digital learning in schools.

The three organisations; Credit Bank, Microsoft Africa and Kodris Africa, seek to democratise technology in the continent to achieve Sustainable Development Goals, particularly goal Four which focuses on education.

Credit Bank chief executive Betty Korir yesterday said they will support schools with the Kodris Africa platform as part of their commitment to deepening its social impact in the education sector.

“We are entering into this partnership to support all stakeholders including the government, schools, parents and learners and for the social impact it will cause. It is critical that this skill begins to be understood at this elementary level. We are doing this to prepare the young Kenyan citizen for the future workplace,” said Korir, in a statement after signing the deal.

The partnership will see the three firms working together to promote use of Kodris Africa Studio by students in Kenya and then rolled out into the rest of Africa.

Important milestone

Kodris Africa CEO Mugumo Munene welcomed the partnership, saying it will enhance the firm’s purpose of enhancing digital literacy among students for socio-economic transformation.

 “This marks an important milestone towards making coding a reality for learners across Kenya and the rest of Africa. Partnerships can only be good news for learners who deserve all the knowledge they can acquire in their years of study so that they can stand shoulder to shoulder with their peers from around the world,” said Munene.

This comes against the backdrop of Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development approving the first coding syllabus in schools in Africa. Coding as a subject of study interlinks with the government efforts to promote digital literacy in Kenya under the Digital Literacy Programme.

It helps learners understand how computers function and is also the act of translating human intentions into commands that computers can understand.

Kodris Africa intends to equip learners with skills to solve problems and become producers in preparation for opportunities and jobs of the future.

Microsoft Africa Development Centre Programme Manager Student and Education Engagements Irene Githinji said promotion of coding, which is a signature subject in the study of computer science and the digital world, is an extension of the commitment the tech firm’s partnership with the Ministry of Education.

“The Ministry of Education has made a great step in the right direction by approving a product that will enhance digital literacy among students in Kenya. We enjoin ourselves in this journey to being this piece of education to Kenyan schools,” said Githinji.

She said the students who learn and understand coding have an advantage of becoming full participants in a heavily computerised and digitised world.

“The beauty of understanding how digitisation and connectivity works means that our children will have an opportunity to compete for job opportunities beyond boundaries without necessarily having to travel there in the world of remote working,” Githinji added.