Compulsory programming robotics education Argentina: In 2018, the resolution 343/18 of the CFE established that programming and robotics should be taught on a mandatory basis at all levels of Argentine schools. Some provinces have already incorporated them into the curriculum, but many are still missing.

According to the norm, they have time to do so until 2020. The benefits of programming reaching schools: digital literacy, better use of technology in young people and greater access to the labor market.

More than a year ago, through the Federal Council, provincial ministers agreed to advance in a digital education plan: programming and robotics became compulsory subjects in schools. Anticipating the difficulties of implementing them, the schools were given a period of two years to define how to do it: whether to incorporate them as individual subjects or in a transversal way to the curriculum. That term expires in 2020 and, although there are already positive results in sight, the rule is far from being applied throughout the country.

Compulsory programming robotics education Argentina

Why learn programming?

Learning programming is not only important to have notions of computing or motivate children to choose related university careers, it is also essential for the growth of digital literacy among young people, a key tool for the development of any activity today and fundamental in the works of the future.

In addition to technical knowledge, it is important that the children understand that it is we who give the orders, and that the machines only execute them. It is intended that new generations can participate in the digital world in a safe and responsible way, being aware of their rights, obligations and possibilities.

It is also important to encourage the study of related careers. Software development is one of the fastest growing branches in terms of employment: there are more and more jobs in the field, but most teenagers do not have any knowledge on the subject, so they do not choose related careers either.

Results in sight

Undoubtedly, taking programming to all educational levels in Argentina represents a huge challenge, but there are tools that make it more accessible. Mumuki is an Argentine project that follows the same objectives of the law. To achieve this, its founders developed a virtual platform to teach programming at different levels, with more than 2,000 interactive exercises for automatic correction, which was already used by more than 10,000 students in Argentine and foreign classrooms. In addition, they provide teacher training, pedagogical advice and a virtual classroom to facilitate homework in schools.

The Mumuki Platform is used by schools in provinces that are already applying the law, such as San Luis and Mendoza. In the first, more than 4,500 elementary and middle school students learned programming. In addition, thousands of adults were trained to facilitate their labor insertion and 135 teachers were certified to teach through the platform. In that province, the world's first programmable model has just been built: the San Luis 4.0 Programmable Model is a tool that will be added for programming teaching.

In Mendoza, they carried out the Mendogrammers plan, which aims at 10,000 boys and girls from schools throughout the province having access to content on the fundamentals of programming. The technological pole of that province was the winner of the Sadosky Awards, which is delivered by the Chamber of the Argentine Software Industry (Cessi), in the Institutional category. It is a recognition of the public-private experience linked to the knowledge industry. Among the proposals proposed, the Mendoza ICT Pole stood out with the Mendoza TEC program, which forms programmers through courses and workshops taught by different institutions in the province.

Agustín Pina, Executive Director of Mumuki, said: “During 2019 we trained more than 1000 teachers in programming, in both a technological and pedagogical training, so that they can take this discipline to the classroom, and the results do not cease to surprise us. Using the Mumuki Platform and accompanying it with unplugged activities, teachers are teaching their students the fundamental skills of Computational Thinking, from different subjects. ”

“The training gives teachers confidence to work these contents in the classroom. The platform, for its part, presents a didactic sequence in line with the contents proposed by the Resolution, so it serves as support for teachers, while interactive exercises capture the attention of children, who learn by solving problems in a fun way "He concluded.