Coding, the new Norm In Early Education- an Analysis

Shraddha Verma.
The Union Ministry of Education recently announced the New Education Policy 2020 which will be the reform in the Indian Education System . The measures also include Coding which shall be taught from class six onwards.
After the announcement of CODING to be taught from class 6 onwards in all schools , these types of memes are being circulated in all social media platforms and people are talking about it with each other , showing disappointment over their inability of losing this opportunity of learning in future schools.

This Policy mainly proposes the introduction of 5+3+3+4 system instead of 10+2 system, aims for universalisation of education , removes hard line separation between Science and Arts , focuses on introduction of vocational subjects, integration of social groups/communities such as social workers, NGOs, counsellors, educators etc, infrastructure development, school clusters , practical learning, Foundational Literacy and Numeracy skills, importance to Arts , best use of technology and also brings reforms in Higher Education System.

The policy significantly emphasises on Early Child Care Education (ECCE) which covers the children of age group of 3-6 years which are very crucial years for cognitive skills development and overall brain development . The foundation of their learning will be established in the Foundational Stage of the Education where students will be able to imbibe skills such as learning skills, psycho-motor skills, cognitive skills etc through “play based learning” , ” activity tours” in Anganwadis, Balavikas and Primary schools. In this way the elementary education will be strengthened and the students will be “school ready” for further stages .

The Middle school / Middle stage of the education talks about the class 6-8 covering students in the age group of 11 – 14 years. Besides encouraging experiential and experimental learning, discussion on abstracts of subjects , explorations, discussing the relation among the subjects taught , “Competency based learning” rather than “Learning by Memorisation” , language learning and mode of instruction to be in local language ; this policy largely focuses on skill integration, “development of SCIENTIFIC TEMPER” and other skills such as problem solving, arts and aesthetics, logical reasoning, teamwork, vocational skills etc.

To equip the future generation with “21 Century Skills” , Coding will be taught from class 6 onwards and will be introduced in the Middle stage of education. “Language learning” , whether being the aspect of speaking skills or computer language, is essential for the children because it helps in nourishing children with various scientific skills , logical reasoning skills that are very essential for the deep understanding of the subject as well as development of technical skills in this world of science and technology.

Learning Computer programmes such as C++, Java , Python, Stata etc will not only lead to the development of computational skills and reasoning skills but you can also make a career in it. Coding can help you to become a web developer, app developer, game developer, robotics programmer, machine learning researcher and so on. Coding will open doors to –

Business

In business jobs a person having soft skills along with coding skills can give a competitive edge over other applicants. Coding skills can help you to better communicate the needs of the organisation by working as a growth hacker, customer support, product manager, content marketer , technical recruiter etc.

Data Jobs

In this digital world there is high demand for people who can manipulate data, a data analyst, actuary, data scientist, economist, biostatisticians, biomedical engineer etc and coding will be very useful for working in these fields.

Entrepreneurship

A coder can make a successful career in this field. As nowadays many startups are becoming tech driven so if you know how to code then you can launch your product and drive down costs , and can become a freelancer.

Design jobs

If you are creative and know coding then this tech driven design job suits you the best as by using digital tools you can create your designs. The roles which you can play are Graphic designer, web designer, game designer, UX/UI designer, digital product designer, and so on.
This revolutionary Education policy and the concept of coding , in the upcoming virtual and digital world will bring major change in the education system as well, as the life of the aspirational students.