Education stakeholders have affirmed their commitment to the early introduction of the coding in schools to help learners acquire technical skills relevant to the digital economy. Technology is rapidly changing the landscape of the workforce with employers across the world increasingly seeking a digitally skilled labour force. It is projected that by 2030, 50%-55% of all jobs in Kenya will require some level of digital skills with the demand being primarily driven by enterprises adopting digital technologies.
It is against this backdrop that the Kenya Association of International Schools (KAIS) in partnership with Education Technologies firm, Kodris Africa and Kenya Commercial Bank on 6th October 2022 convened a digital skills symposium that brought together various stakeholders from the education and ICT sectors. The event explored computing and coding curriculum and the importance of incorporating digital skills in primary and secondary schools. Also present were tech giants Microsoft, Google Safaricom and Liquid Telcom among others.
In the last two decades, curriculum reforms have been driven by rapid technological and social changes. However, while the importance of digital skills has been recognized, there has been less focus — particularly in emerging markets — on the scale of demand for these skills, and the models that can be used to teach them.
