State-Google deal to roll out coding in schools programme

Google office signage. FILE PHOTO | NMG    

By KABUI MWANGI More by this Author

The government has partnered with global tech giant Google to roll out a coding

programme that will target at least four million learners and 42,000 teachers across Kenyan primary and secondary schools as part of the State-led efforts to realise digital transformation through skilling.

During the occasion to mark this year’s Jamhuri Day fete, President William Ruto announced that Google has hatched a collaboration with the ministries of Education and ICT and the Digital Economy to implement the programme that has since been approved by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD).

“Google, in collaboration with the ministries of Education and ICT, has begun implementing a KICD-sponsored coding programme in primary and secondary schools to reach four million learners. The partnership will also train 42,000 teachers,” said Dr Ruto.

It was however not immediately clear the specific schools that would be beneficiaries of the initiative.

Coding, which is also known as programming, involves translating human intentions into commands that can be understood by computers.

In Kenya, digital literacy is a key plank of the competency-based curriculum (CBC) that has been rolled out in Grade Six, which is the final level of the primary school cycle.

Other players that have previously entered the fledgling coding space for schools include Safaricom and KCB in the country, amid surging demand for the skill.

Safaricom through its M-Pesa Foundation Academy and KCB which inked an implementation deal with online publishing firm Kodris Africa last December.

A survey by Google last year showed that demand for African computer software developers reached an all-time high in 2021 against the backdrop of a global economic crisis, with Kenya adding at least 2,000 developers during the year.

An interview of 1,600 software developers by Google found that 38 percent of African developers work for at least one company based outside of the continent.

The demand has seen more high-end schools, especially private-run institutions, in the country integrate coding classes or coding clubs as part of their curriculum.

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