Did you know that Skype was developed in Estonia? I didn't, until I read reports that public schools in the former Soviet state will start teaching students computer coding from grade one onwards.
The idea seems so revolutionary that super pundit Thomas Friedman, magazine and the newspaper have asked whether their own governments should introduce similar curriculums.
A while ago, I asked the same question in a column about teaching coding in local schools.
The Estonian hi-tech industry has been booming, thanks in part to the success of Skype, first developed in 2003. But many of these firms are having trouble hiring programming talent - hence the government's school reform, which now offers STEM with a C (science, technology, engineering and maths with coding).
Many - if not most - schools in Hong Kong have daily IT classes. However, they mostly teach pupils how to use their computers and software applications.
I am not saying that's not useful. Many apps are powerful, and certainly enhance learning and productivity. But coding hones maths and logic skills, and its syntax makes it somewhat like learning a language.
