The
private banking unit of Fidelity Bank recently organised
a five-day kids coding boot camp in Lagos to equip Nigerian children
with the necessary knowledge, skills and capabilities to compete
favourably with their counterparts in other nations.Sunday Ehigiator writes
Master
Okemesimi Aigbe gazes at his computer screen, cautiously plotting his
next move. As part of a class task to re-create a simulation of a road
racing competition, the 10-year-old spent the better part of the hour
trying to animate F1 drivers swerving back and forth across highway
lanes. The young lad seems rather perplexed as a series of computer
commands are proving too complicated than he had expected. But, with a
little tweak here and a slight adjustment there, Aigbe finds himself
edging closers to his dream.
“I
want to build a website and games from the programme,” muttered Aigbe,
an enthusiastic participant at a 5-day Kids Coding Boot Camp organised
by the Private Banking Division of Fidelity Bank in Lagos. Finally, he
inputs some codes and hits the enter button. He smiles in utmost
satisfaction as he watches his Porsche Carrera GT zoom past obstacles on
the simulated race course. Aigbe’s exploits are some of the many
examples that demonstrate how the process of learning to code can deepen
creativity in children.
The
late John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK), 35th President of the United States
(U.S.) who faced a number of foreign crises, especially in Cuba and
Berlin, said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”
Fidelity Bank recognises the importance of education and remains highly
committed to equipping Nigerian children with the necessary knowledge,
skills and capabilities to ensure that when that future does arrive they
are capable of taking advantage of available opportunities to drive
socio-economic development.
It
is well established that children who learn coding and programming
logic are better problem solvers, have stronger analytical reasoning
skills, and become more involved, inquisitive learners who are driven to
construct knowledge. Moreover, it is also a Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) discipline, one that teaches kids
how the internet works, how systems they rely on function. More
importantly, computer coding is also a skill fundamental to a global
economy driven by technology.
“Today,
you cannot be a citizen of the world without being computer savvy,”
stated the Bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr.
Nnamdi Okonkwo, during the opening ceremony of the kid’s camp. He
reasoned that it is important to equip our children “with the right
tools to compete favourably with their counterpart in other nations and
lead Nigeria to the future.” As part of its mentorship programme,
Fidelity’s Private Banking Division organised the coding camp to provide
participants with a foundation upon which to build their careers as
programmers and tech entrepreneurs.
It
was a great time of learning, creativity and fun as wards of their
clients gathered at the Private Banking Office in Ikoyi, Lagos, to learn
how to write code, create apps, and make games whilst also developing
competitive skills to assist them in today’s rapidly changing
environment. The camp which held in two streams for a period of two
weeks admitted kids from between the ages of 10-17 years. The first
stream, which started on April 3, had about 20 students from select
primary and secondary schools in Lagos.
During
the first day’s session, Henry Okonkwo of Truparse, a Lagos-based
digital creative agency that facilitated the code camp, introduced the
children to the basics of creating games. He later showed them how to
build games using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. The programme was designed
specifically to prepare children for software development, software
optimisation and solution design; thus enabling kids with little or no
coding experience to understand coding concepts and immediately apply
these skills and knowledge to their academic and daily interactions.
Currently,
software is at the heart of the global knowledge economy as the
increasing adoption of Information Communication Technology (ICT)
enabled tools and technologies further enhance its value. Software’s
growing influence is adding more than $1.14 trillion a year to the U.S.
economy, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit.
The
software industry directly contributed $564.4 billion to the U.S.
economy in 2016, representing an 18.7 per cent increase over 2014. When
looking at its full impact, the software industry is responsible for
$1.14 trillion of total U.S. value-added GDP in 2016 ($564.4 billion in
direct value-added + $575.5 billion in indirect and induced effects) – a
6.4 per cent increase in just the last two years.
It
is evident that the software industry is a catalyst for economic
growth. Interestingly, the software presents Nigeria with an opportunity
to take high up position in the global ICT value chain. However, the
industry has witnessed some major challenges. Nigerian Software industry
is innovative, virile and versatile but support from the government at
all levels is still very low. Indians have grown their homemade software
and are exporting them to the whole world while Nigeria still depends
on imported ICT solutions.
As
a reputable financial institution committed to growing the Nigerian
economy, Fidelity Bank strongly believes that young Nigerians need to
solve problems in their immediate environment with modern technology
currently characterised by the Personal Computer (PC). With laudable
initiatives such as the Kid’s Coding Camp, the Bank is fully persuaded
that Nigeria can build an army of software developers that can transform
the fortunes of this nation.
The
coding camp is a follow up to an Etiquette Workshop for children still
as part of mentorship programme of the Private Banking Division. The
event which took place last year was designed to provide the right
coaching for the younger generation, the workshop was intended to
prepare them for future endeavours. Children between the ages of nine to
15 years, were also trained on other soft skills such as communication
and collaboration to prepare them for future endeavours.
Mrs.
Janet Adetu, the workshop facilitator noted that the workshop will not
only provide children with requisite social skills to manage difficult
situations but also boost their self-confidence.
“We
want to build their self-confidence and make sure that our children are
prepared to take up leadership opportunities in the near future.”
Adetu,
who is the Chief Executive Officer of JSK Etiquette, a leading
etiquette and protocol company said the essence of the workshop was to
teach these children soft skills to enable them to thrive in this
difficult times.
Interactive
teaching techniques that include demonstrations, role plays and
questions and answers sessions were used to enhance the learning process
during the training session; thus dispelling passivity, stimulating
response and animated discussions during the training session.
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