AI, computer science as foundational part of basic education

AI, computer science as foundational part of basic education | Daily Tribune

While reskilling the workforce is good, it is better to bring artificial intelligence (AI) and computer science teachings early into the education system to give students a head start long before they enter the world of work, according to a technology entrepreneur and investor.

In a recent e-forum hosted by the APEC Business Advisory Council, Hadi Partovi, CEO of Code.org, a nonprofit provider of K-12 computer science curriculum in the US stressed that AI and computer science should be “a foundational part of basic education” in view of their growing importance in the digital era.

“People talk about reskilling the workforce, but the most important time to spend time on (developing) skills is in our education systems… where we are providing people the skills we expect they should have in their careers,” he said.

Keeping up with pace of technology

Partovi said that, unfortunately, education systems today are not keeping up with the rate of change in the world of work. “(Our) education systems must evolve to keep up with the changing pace of technology…. we should not only change how we teach but also even change the goalposts of what we teach students.”

In fact, just as primary and secondary schoolchildren are taught basic education subjects to prepare them for their future work as, say, a mathematician or a surgeon, today, in the 21st century and the age of AI, it’s just as vital for students to learn what algorithm or AI is and how these work.

Partovi argued that understanding AI and computer science is not just for those who want to become a coder or a data scientist, saying “they’re equally basic and fundamental concepts for every single student to learn as part of primary and secondary education.”

The growth of generative AI makes these concepts even more vital in the face of people’s fear of losing their jobs to artificial intelligence, he added.

AI won’t take away people’s jobs

“The reality is AI isn’t going to be taking people’s jobs. Somebody who knows technology better, somebody who knows how to use AI better, is going to take people’s jobs,” he commented.

He said that if governments want to strengthen their workforces, “our education system needs to teach these technical concepts, and AI literacy and computer science should be treated as a foundational part of basic education.”

Partovi pointed at recent research to prove his point. He said studies show that students who study computer science and artificial intelligence in K-12 outperform their peers in reading, writing, math and science exams in elementary school.

They also outperform in executive functioning skills, perform better in high school math courses, and are 17 percent more likely to enroll in a four-year college course.

He also shared findings showing that “taking one high school course in computer science causes an 8 percent to 14 percent boost in wages by age 24 across all careers, not just in technical careers. This is a subject that literally helps people build their digital skills and build their grit and their general executive functioning skills in a way that leads to higher wages.”

Moreover, computer science can enhance one’s creativity because students “can learn how to make beautiful art, games or apps as part of their school system,” he said.

New digital divide

Parlovi warned that there is now a “new digital divide,” one that is centered on the question of who is empowered to learn with and about AI. This, he said, is different from the old digital divide in which the basic questions were whether schools had computers, high-speed Internet, and one-to-one devices.

“(In) the new digital divide, what we should all worry about is which students in which schools are empowered with the access to learn with and about AI and to integrate computer science as part of their school systems,” he said.