5 Reasons why introducing coding in Indian Schools is a sensational move!

Is coding actually an essential skill to be taught in schools? On 29^th July 2020, the Union Cabinet in India introduced the National Education Policy (NEP). One of the biggest changes which attracted many was that students from class 6 onwards will be taught coding as a part of the 21st-century skills. This made me wonder, is coding education from such a young age actually so significant? To learn more about it I started researching the topic and that is when I bumped upon a survey carried out by HackerRank earlier this year.

 

The 2020 Hackerank Developer Skills Report

To understand the state of developer skills, HackerRank conducted a survey in 2020 which surveyed over 11,6000 developers from 162 countries. The survey provided many meaningful insights about the expectation of employees and employers, and how they saw their roles evolving as the world moves towards a more technological approach. Many observations were made during the survey, of which I thought of sharing some of the most prominent ones which gave me clarity about my question which I posed at the beginning.

 

1.      Nearly 1 in 3 managers have hired a Bootcamp grad, but read further!

The survey suggested that about 32% hiring managers were of the opinion that they would hire a Bootcamp grad, with the advent of EdTech companies offering courses and work exposure in coding this was a no brainer fact. The survey though, also suggested that 48% hiring managers said they wouldn’t hire a Bootcamp grad. This suggests that a section of hiring managers still prioritize formal education, and the introduction of coding during the school phase does, sound a great move

 

2.      Large Companies still prioritize Degrees over a non-degree candidate.

Though large organizations like Google, Apple IBM have at times lifted the compulsion of possessing a degree for jobs, a staggering 91% large companies still prefer a formal degree. This just proves that having a formal background in coding from a young school age would not only help students get exposure to the world of developers but also provide them with ample of time in making the correct career choices in the future.

 

3.      39% developers feel they are paid unfairly.

This statistic could be attributed to a lot of factors like the quality of developers, their current knowledge, existing skills set, and the demand for developers in the market. In my opinion teaching in schools could be a great move in addressing a lot of these problems which would provide students with basic understanding and skillset at a young age which would help them in evolving at a tender age by getting hands-on experience.

 

 

4.      Learning new tech skills and compensations are a priority.

A similar survey carried out in 2019 and this year’s survey suggested that learning new technological skills on the jib and compensation are some of the most important factors considered by developers while looking out for a job. This just made me wonder what a massive impact imparting coding education would have on the young minds which would enable them to not only have an upper hand during salary negotiations in the future, but also provide them a basic understanding off tech skills much earlier which would be of great help to build a strong foundation.

 

5.      India rising as the largest market for overseas recruitment

A survey carried out by FreeCodeCamp in 2020 showed that the US is no longer the largest market for providing foreign countries with tech professionals. The survey pointed out in 2020 India is the largest market that provides tech professionals to a foreign country, followed by Brazil and Egypt. The US is a distant 4^th on that criteria. This presents the best timing by the Indian government to introduce coding in school education to bolster its claim as the largest market for tech professionals in the future also.

 

Both these surveys strongly depict that in the years to come India is going to become a great source for foreign talent due to the quality of professionals produced by it. All these facts certainly made me realize that the decision by the government of India is actually a sensational move that is going to reap huge benefits in the future. By doing so India has also shown the world that it’s future is in safe hands.