Brussels, 30/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - EU Education and Training Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou and Digital Strategy Commissioner Neelie Kroes sent a joint letter on Friday 25 July to member states' education ministers, urging them to ensure that children have the opportunity to learn basic computer programming skills in school. They argue: “Coding cannot just support studies in maths, science and engineering. Coding will also directly help students develop transversal skills such as analytical thinking, problem-solving, team-working and creativity. Starting early means that they will be more inclined to consider computer science studies and ITC-related careers”.
Pointing out that youth unemployment is one of the biggest challenges facing the European Union today and that, alongside this, there is a yawning skills deficit in the ITC sector, the commissioners say that promoting programming skills in Europe is one of the keys to dealing with the situation. They welcome the steps that are being taken in some countries: Coding has been taught in Estonian schools since 2012 and the UK will introduce programming in the national curriculum this year. France has announced the introduction of an optional coding course in primary schools. Finland and Italy are also considering coding initiatives for young people. In addition, multiple voluntary initiatives (…) are mushrooming across Europe and provide fun coding classes to kids after school, at weekends and even during the summer holidays. “We invite you (…) to step up efforts in Opening up Education in your country and to support the digital training of teachers, children and parents by providing students with opportunities to learn coding in school”, they write. Vassiliou and Kroes urge the member states to get involved in the EU Code Week (11-17 October, see related article).
The European Commission has often repeated in the recent months and years how urgent it is for people in Europe to develop digital skills. A little over a year ago, it launched the Open up Education initiative to boost digital skills among the inhabitants of Europe. A report published in 2012 on Rethinking Education also stressed this need. The Commission says that exchange of best practice and national experience in promoting digital skills, particularly programming, will take place in working groups set up for the strategic framework for European cooperation in the field of education and training until 2020 (Education and Training 2020). (IL)