Let children’s computer skills be honed early

DHAHRAN, 10 March — Isn’t it time to get serious about computer education in schools? The IT revolution has more or less forced all educational institutions to include computer education on their syllabi. A general survey of schools in the Kingdom, India and Pakistan shows that computer education in those countries is more empty form than serious effort. On the other hand, in Europe and America, much emphasis is given to computer use and computer-related subjects during the early stages of education. The general computer knowledge of a Third World elementary school student is thus far lower than his contemporaries in Europe or America. It is also lower than in schools run along European and American lines.

A survey of foreign schools in the Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province indicates that although computer science is taught, there is very little seriousness on the part of teachers. They go through the motions to satisfy the requirements but often they themselves lack both information and skills.

For example at the International Indian School, computer subjects are introduced to students when they are about 8 years old. Though the school has spent large sums on computers, there is little evidence that the teachers have been trained to teach the subject. It was shocking to learn that 14 year olds at the school were taught the same thing as 10 year olds concerning computers.

“We were introduced to BASIC programming when I was 9 or 10 and now that I am 14, the teachers are still teaching the same things — how to turn on, turn off and shut down the computer,” said one student.

What makes things worse is that the school, an affiliate of the Central Board of Secondary Education, CBSE, New Delhi, offers computer science as an advanced subject in the last years of both the science and commerce streams. The students who choose this subject find themselves suddenly swamped with an advanced syllabus for which they are unprepared.

The situation is even worse at the Pakistani school where computer science is not taught at the primary or secondary level at all. Students say that they knew that there was a computer lab but never got an opportunity to go except when meetings were held in the lab. At the same time, such schools as Dhahran Academy and Rahima Academy take computer courses seriously and students in those schools confirm that the subject becomes more difficult as they move up to higher classes.

What these Asian schools fail to understand is that computer studies is the same as any other subject. If a student is taught numbers or English in kindergarten, then he or she will make progress in both as he moves up the educational ladder. The same pattern must be followed when it comes to computer subjects.

It is not necessary that each student choose information technology as a subject but the fact is that whatever field he or she chooses today, computers will play a role. For example, just a few years ago, a secretary was expected to have both shorthand and typing skills whereas today, that same secretary is expected to have computer skills and knowledge.

If we want our children to keep up with the modern world, it is imperative that computer science be taught the way that English, science, history or math is taught. Our function as parents and teachers is to prepare the younger generation for the future. We must be fair to them and teach them what they will need for success.