Revolution in ICT education promised

Education secretary Michael Gove has told delegates at this week’s BETT technology conference and expo that the current ICT schools curriculum is to be completely scrapped and that we will start again from scratch.

 

Characterising the current state of play as both “harmful and dull,” Gove wants a much more practical alternative with heavy use of Open Source.

 

A consultation will be begin next week on the new curriculum in computer science and programming, which will be designed with the help of universities and industry, to change the situation and skill youngsters in skills Gove is convinced will be core for the 21st century:

 

“Our school system has not prepared children for this new world. Millions have left school over the past decade without even the basics they need for a decent job. And the current curriculum cannot prepare British students to work at the very forefront of technological change.”

 

Enough with the Office apps, already 

In his speech, Gove outlined a vision to free up schools to use curricula and teaching resources that properly equip pupils for the 21st Century.

 

The Education Secretary believes that the inadequate grounding in computing offered by the current curriculum is in danger of damaging the UK’s economic prospects. Instead, he called for a revival of the legacy of British computer pioneer Alan Turing whose work in the 1930s laid the foundation of the modern ICT industry.

 

"Imagine the dramatic change which could be possible in just a few years, once we remove the roadblock of the existing ICT curriculum,” he told his audience. "Instead of children bored out of their minds being taught how to use Word or Excel by bored teachers, we could have 11-year-olds able to write simple 2D computer animations," he said.

 

In practical terms, expect a new Computing GCSE and a lot of input from suppliers like Google and Microsoft, as well as less focus on applications and more on hands-on programming.

 

Teenagers might also start being asked to build their own smartphone Apps, for example.

 

But while the reaction to the move has generally been positive, implementation of the new scheme might prove more problematic.

 

Thus Richard Holway, chairman of analyst TechMarketView, said in a blog post: “It seems to me to be madness that fewer and fewer young people want to go on to do Computer Sciences at University. On top of that employers complain that they cannot get home grown people with the required IT skills. Hence they turn offshore. Part of this is their fault in that our industry has not taken on entry-level IT people/apprentices in sufficient numbers for at least a decade now. But the schools are also to blame.”

 

Intellect, the trade body for the UK’s ICT industry, welcomed Michael Gove’s announcement that ICT lessons are to be scrapped and replaced with computer science and programming.

 

Intellect had recommended this course of action last year when it responded to the Department for Education review of the national curriculum.

 

Richard Hadfield, chair of Intellect’s education group says, “We are pleased that Michael Gove has agreed with our recommendation to scrap the current dull and uninspiring ICT lessons and replace them with lessons which will engage, excite and inspire pupils. Equipping pupils with real programming and computer science skills is vital to ensuring the future of the UK ICT sector and our whole economy.”

 

He added: “Intellect will respond to the consultation announced today by Mr. Gove and our member companies are committed to helping schools teach this new generation of lessons. The announcement today is a vital first step to ensure continued growth and competitiveness of the UK. We will continue to push for schools to build students' skills through embedding tech into teaching of all other subjects.”

 

But who will do the front-line teaching? One blogger claimed that of the 28,000 new teachers last year in the UK, just three had a computer-related degree. And speaking to the BBC, Bill Mitchell of the BCS (British Computing Society), noted, "There are, of course, significant challenges to overcome, specifically with the immediate shortage of computer science teachers."

 

Meanwhile Steve Furber, chairman of an imminent Royal Society report on computing in schools, said non-specialist teachers might find the range of alternative teaching resources “confusing”.

 

"We look forward to hearing more about how the government intends to support non-specialist teachers who make up the majority of the workforce in delivering an excellent ICT education without official guidance on lesson content," he said.