Decoding talent

Samiya Syed, a 7th-grade student at Indian School Darsait, finished her first phase of ‘Python coding’ under Arcomm’s Brainobrain in the Sultanate. Coding is a way to communicate with computers just like there is a way for humans to communicate with each other. Coders write the instructions using a programming language. Every line of code tells the computer to do something. In today’s digitalised world, Samiya has learnt a lot about Character User Interface (CUI) and how computer language works. As a parent, Nabeela Farshori is happy that her two daughters are getting familiarised with emerging technologies practically. Her kids love the concept of coding, especially the mode of teaching on Zoom during the lockdown and being very interactive. They wait excitedly for the second phase where it will be more advanced learning. “This digital magic makes children excited and creates curiosity to learn further. By the end of the course, my 11-year-old daughter created a paint App in which she gave strings to erase the drawing with a simple shake of the phone.” She was also taught Turtle and Python coding. Now coding seems to be the ‘in thing’ among school students. Recently, the Ministry of Education and Omantel signed an agreement to develop IT and coding courses for primary school students. The agreement aims to develop an educational curriculum providing students with future skills and the 4IR in line with ‘Oman Vision 2040,’ aiming to create a knowledge-based economy. Skills Development Arun Raaza, Founder and CEO at Arcomm Child Skills Development Training, says children should learn to code at the same time apply them in real time hardware and work or test the same. This will foster creativity and make them bright innovators. Aside from aiding to interact with the computer, they help you perform the complex tasks in relatively few steps, he mentions. “It is very easy to programme once you know the syntax of the programming language which helps us solve problems and improves our Math skills,” he says adding that there are several languages like Java, Python. Java, for example, is the core foundation for developing Android apps. Arun explains they offer a hybrid approach of online training with ‘Do It Yourself’ (DIY) kit in Oman which seems to work wonders. “This hybrid model makes children strong in concepts as well as practical. We have already trained over 300 children from Oman in this model and getting rave reviews from parents and children. In the long run, this programme will make the children as innovators and prepare them for future industry requirements,” he says. Ambika Padmanabhan, a primary school teacher at Indian School Al Wadi Al Kabir (ISWK), says the ability to code transforms students from passive consumers into active innovators. This, she says, helps to see every piece of the technology puzzle, not just as a toy but as a way to problems solving and an opportunity to create. “Children need to be able to think critically and resolve complex problems to truly thrive in the environment where they are expected to live and work in the future. An approach to teaching these skills is to teach them coding. The focus must be on the ‘essence’ of the subject rather than the “mechanics of the moment,” she mentions. Python Coding is the best coding language suitable for children and will play a vital role in the future world of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Arun concludes by saying that regardless of a child choosing professional courses, AI will have its influence in the near future and Python is currently the best-suited language for children to code AI programmes. “It is less complex, easy to learn or use and is an open source,” he concludes.