Experts canvass early coding activities for Nigerian children
Some of the children during the code training exercise in Lagos.
In recognition of the fact that Computer programming is the most important skill of the 21st Century, and the earlier a kid starts, the better he will get, experts have canvassed coding training for children.
According to them, a critical tool for operating in the digital society is programming know-how, adding that the place to start is to have an understanding of how to code.
Speaking at a ‘Summer to Code’ training, organised for the children in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, by the De Royale Hall Resources, an educational and content development firm, the experts said it is imperative that children be provided access to coding know-how, to ensure that Nigeria and Nigerians are not left behind. “Coding is now a life skill, so children from every strata of society deserve the opportunity to acquire coding skills, to be prepared for the future and to keep abreast with change in the society.”
Chief Content Officer at De Royale Hall Resources, Elvis Eromosele, said children have the brightest minds, noting that their hands might be small they do have great minds.
According to him, there is no limit to what they can achieve, “we only need to provide the platform to set them on the right path. ‘A Summer to Code’ helped to create an enabling environment and platform to help them find expression for their thoughts and imaginations.
“In the course of this summer, we found that coding equally helped to strengthen your kids logical thinking, improve their problem solving skills and boost they readiness for the digital future.”
On the experience, Eromosele noted that the six Saturdays of learning to code, was highly enlightening. “The class had 21 participants aged between 4 -18 years. By the end of the third week, the kids were creating basic websites, and understood the concept of mobile apps design, development and deployment. Children began to code with minimal supervision by the end of the third week.”
According to him, it takes about two to three months to learn coding (programming) at a level that the learner can work with, noting that ‘A Summer to Code’ is the just first step in turning on the light for children in Alimosho.”
To Godfrey Adejumoh, the brain behind the project, there is a need for government to support efforts to bring coding classes to children not just across Alimosho but Nigeria. He urged the government to set up a centre where kids can access computer systems, and acquire at least three hours of lessons a week, plus some measure of follow up and mentoring to keep them in check.
Adejumoh noted that with coding, “we can unleash the creative energies of the young people in Alimosho, and indeed across Nigeria, and help them to discover the beauty of storytelling using coding. Coding is the future. That future must begins now!”
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