Chinese children take to coding amid country’s lofty goals in AI, other hi-tech initiatives
- The wave of enthusiasm in China for coding education comes as the country moves to become an AI powerhouse
For many parents in China, it has long been de rigueur to have their children attend after-school tutoring in English and mathematics, subjects deemed important to help advance their future career prospects.
That study load, however, has increased because of a growing trend for parents to also send their children to coding classes, on top of the typical music lessons, sports camps and other extra curricular activities they attend.
“Coding is a must-have skill because we are entering the age of AI [artificial intelligence], when the jobs of people without coding skills will be replaced by robots,” said Li Yu, a stock trader in Beijing.
Li said her four-year son, Chen Tian, is taking coding class every weekend. It is a formative education in computing that she hopes will “help him understand how the technology-enhanced world works”, she said.
Coding is the computer language employed to build the software, websites and apps that people use.