Ireland is leading the way in teaching children computer coding with 2015 seeing more classes per capita than any other country in the world.
2015 has already seen more than 500 classes take place that allow children to familiarise themselves with coding from a young age and show them how simple it can actually be.
Ireland was part of a global project called the ‘Hour of Code’ which aimed to teach children some of the basics involved with writing and reading code.
More than 180 countries took part, and Ireland has held more classes per capita than any other.
The number of classes has almost doubled in just one year from 280 in 2014 to 540 so far this year.
One of the main driving forces behind the campaign in Ireland was former junior education minister Ciaran Cannon. He told the Irish Independent: “This year we’re on schedule to have the most events of any country.
“For many of the participants who took part this week it was their first time to learn about coding is all about. It is a subject that can empower our children to gain an even deeper understanding of our modern world. We hope this will act as an incentive for young people to continue coding.”
Ireland has become the European base for several leading technology companies over the past decade. Internet giants Google, Facebook, Amazon and LinkedIn have all set up data centres, as well as gadget kings Apple.
The presence of so many leading technology companies has provided a great opportunity to young Irish people to gain the necessary skills to work in the industry.
Ireland already had various code teaching initiatives in place. One such programme is CoderDojo which is run by volunteers and allows kids to learn basic coding free of charge.
One participant in the scheme was a girl named Kathleen Marie Maughan, who won an award for the anti-bullying app she created.
