Check Why Apple’s CEO Tim Cook Thinks Coding Should Be Taught As Second Language To Primary School Children
According to Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, all primary school children should be taught coding as a second language like just any other language. Failure to introduce and teach students how to code at a very young age would be a “disservice,” he said speaking at Startup Fest Europe in Amsterdam.
“Coding should be a requirement at schools. We are doing our kids a disservice if we are not introducing them to coding,” Tim Cook commented.
Tim Cook told the audience that coding should be introduced to all primary school children alongside with the alphabet, as it is the perfect timing to kindle their interest in the subject matter, reports the Wired. He added that coding is being “absorbed by everything” and universities should form connections with companies to help develop the skills throughout a person’s education.
The students who are trained to code at an early age will obtain deeper and comprehensive understanding of the logic and advanced thinking behind programming, a skill that will be massively in-demand in the future, explained the Apple CEO.
Tim Cook also mentioned that there is a need to invest in people who can correctly teach coding to primary school children. “We can’t expect our children to learn coding overnight, as they will need the proper guidance and environment to do so,” the Apple CEO said.
America Failed To Teach Children How To Code
America has exercised numerous efforts in the past years to familiarize coding to children. However, according to Idit Harel, an entrepreneur and CEO of Globaloria, strong syllabuses are absent in the U.S. schools that can enable kids to attain deep and broad mastery of coding. American children’s learning was restricted to the “light and fluffy version” of coding, she said.
“We are doing a disservice to kids by assuming that they can’t grasp industry-standard languages, complex computer science topics, and applications,” Harel preached. “By limiting them, we undermine their capabilities and stifle their creative and inventive potential.”
