Many people, from Bill Gates to Mindy Kaling, have stressed the importance of learning to code. Mayor Bill de Blasio took his enthusiasm to the next level last Wednesday, however, by announcing that New York City will invest $81 million to make computer science courses available to all public school students by 2025.
Of course, implementing this plan will not be easy: new curriculums must be designed and around 5,000 teachers will have to be trained before the courses can be taught. Yet introducing computer science to more students will bring valuable advantages, such as fueling the ever-growing tech industry and giving students from diverse backgrounds more opportunities to explore a field that has statistically been more popular among white or Asian male students.
As Stephen Hawking said, “whether you want to uncover the secrets of the universe, or you just want to pursue a career in the 21st century, basic computer programming is an essential skill to learn.” Without a doubt, it will not only be schools in New York—but in other cities worldwide as well—that will boast expansive computer science curriculums in ten years’ time.
Contributor: May Huang