Coding enables computers to perform various functions, from simple calculations to complex software applications. The essence of coding is transforming human logic into a format that computers can interpret, typically involving problem-solving and logical thinking to design and implement programs.
Ethiopian learners will have the opportunity to gain foundational level skills across three domains: Programming Fundamentals, Data Science Fundamentals and Android Developer Fundamentals.
Learners will be supported by mentors who will support them on a dedicated Community Platform to unblock technical questions on a daily basis throughout the 6-7 week course. Upon successful course completion, learners will be awarded with skill-based certifications.
According to the organizers of the training program, training in Programing Fundamentals is one of the tracks in which trainings are provided in web development, how web pages are structured from a scratch using a language called Hypertext Makeup Language (HTML) and how this HTML structure is therefore designed and styled using another language called Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) and finally how this styles structure gets converted into an interactive application using JavaScript.
The other track of training is entitled Data Science Fundamentals. This track aims to teach the core fundamentals of data analysis and refine your ability to work with massive and complex data sets one would learn to manipulate and prepare data for analyzing and create visualization for telling story with data.
The other important stream relates to Android Developer which deals with how applications layouts are created and how interaction with users take place and the basics of Kotlin language specially designed with speed in mind. It compiles faster and makes your application more light weight and prevents them from increasing in size.
This program is operationally liked to Digital Ethiopia vision 2025 to which the nation is aspiring to digitalize the entire development operation in the country. The training program expects to reach out to millions of youth who will be trained and certified in a relatively short period of time.
The program is instrumental in further developing other national computer programs like woreda-net, school-net and a other programs that provide agriculture related information for farmers in the rural areas of the country. What are the major outcomes and advantages that the Ethiopian youth can get from this training program? The author enumerates on some basic advantages that the youth in this country can get.
The program helps to markedly cut the rate of employment among the youth by providing employment opportunities in public, private and CSO, microfinance organizations or they can establish their own small scale enterprises for generating income. They can also seek for foreign employment for better payments.
The training provides excellent opportunity for the youth to increase their creativity in developing brand new programs for various public and private enterprises by obtaining patents for their new software innovations.
Moreover, with the development of capital market and the need by banks to insure their operational efficiency, the trainees can participate in promoting and increasing the quality of services in the financial sector of the country by accelerating the digitalization of the sector.
Computer coding and programing are already being implemented in almost all sectors of the economy including agriculture and the manufacturing sector this will open up more opportunities for the trainees to try to develop new coding systems and programs that suit to the needs of the enterprises and institutions in the country.
These trainings on coding are very useful for organizing quarterly and annual reports that could be utilized by policy makers in the government and managers of private enterprises.
The training opens up new ventures not only in programing and coding but also in analyzing results of the outputs by using modern forecasting systems that are useful for socio-economic planning in all sectors including the service sectors.
The training is of crucial importance in preparing the necessary professional manpower in running the economy of the country in all sectors including logistics and handling port services when the country gets access to her own ports.
Given the above mentioned advantages that the country can obtain from the online trainings, there are several preconditions that need to be put in place for smooth running of the program. The following are some of the most important prerequisites the author thinks should be provided for the successful implementation of the training program.
Further expansion of the internet network system in the country by Ethio-telecom and Safaricom needs to be put in place. This will ensure wider accessibility. Focusing particularly on the regional cities, zones and woredas needs to be a priority. This will help to expand and facilitate the outreach program through online accessibly.
Although the system is free of charge, many of the trainees may not have their own laptops or desktops. This will force them to go to commercial internet cafes that they may not regularly afford. The cities and woreda administrations across the country may prepare a computer pool system in which the trainees can take turns in getting their trainings on appropriate venues.
The media in Ethiopia need to prepare specific programs that cater to the online training so that millions of young persons would be able to participate on the trainings. The author believes that as the Ethiopian media is already using modern software in their broadcasting activities, reporters and editor can exploit this opportunity to be trained and certified.
Constant monitoring and evaluation of the program will help to resolve possible problems that may crop up during the training. It is also important to establish mentoring centers in which the trainees can be supporting on their lessons.
The author believes that mainstreaming the 5 million Ethiopia coders program in the educational system of the country is very useful for further digitalization of the country. Students from junior high schools and secondary schools and universities can take advantage of the program by attending online trainings that they can effectively use in career development.
Much off the development of Ethiopia’s socio-economic development certainly depends upon the level on which the country can fast-track her development initiatives by using such mass based online training programs that focus not so much on theory but on practical creation and application of software that can be at disposal of all users in the country.
BY SOLOMON DIBABA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2024
