More than 380 children in the UAE took part in a three-day coding course late last month, as part of Finastra’s long-term commitment to delivering computer science skills to young people in the Middle East.
The Hour of Code initiative – held by Finastra in collaboration with Code.org, is designed to demystify code and broaden participation in the field of computer science. During the three-day training, Finastra hosted 388 students from Dubai International Academy (DIA) and Collegiate American School (CAS). The children had the opportunity to design and execute commands within a gaming environment such as Star Wars or Flappy Bird. Younger children, between seven and nine years of age, used ‘blocks’ of code in a drag-and-drop environment, while older children learned to write code in JavaScript.
According to the World Economic Forum’s report on ‘Future of Jobs and Skills’, 65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new job types that don’t yet exist. Participation in the programme allows Finastra to help further expand the movement globally and to introduce computer science to a wider audience, encouraging more girls and under-represented minorities to get involved.
“Children who took part in the Hour of Code initiative were extremely positive about their experience,” said Zunaira Majid Siddiqi, ICT teacher at Dubai International Academy Al Barsha. “It has really raised our students’ aspirations and shown them what opportunities there are for coders. We believe it is very important to forge links between schools and the workplace even for young pupils so that they are encouraged to link their educational experiences with the real world.”
Details: For more information, please visit finastra.com.