Is Early Introduction To Technical Skills Too Early?

New Delhi, June 16: Educational institutions have forayed into making school curriculum more tech savvy and updated with the topics with emerging subjects such as Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. But it has divided the parental community into two groups, one that supports early introduction to technical subjects and the other opposing it as it may overburden children with complex subjects.

The Hans India spoke with parents of school going children to get their views on the early introduction to subjects such as Robotics, Coding, Drone Technology and other allied subjects. 49-year-old Krishna Kumar says that their son, a class 7 student, was introduced to computer coding in school at a very early age which helped him build on his problem-solving skills. Kumar, who is in central government service, says that though the future-ready technologies should be introduced to children, a cap on the content must be considered.

"My son thoroughly enjoys coding and has expressed interest in building apps. But my concern remains if the subject will deter him from pursuing other interests while he is still in school. This is the time to gain maximum out of the given learning opportunities. I also feel that there might be peer pressure for him to take the technical subject since all his other friends are into it," Kumar said.

41-year Asha Mehta, a home-maker, says that early introduction to complex subjects such as AI or Robotics would put children with lower IQ at a disadvantageous position. Her two children, studying at the MCD run school near Jahangirpuri, New Delhi, do not have access to quality education or advanced skill training.

"My children go to an MCD school as we cannot afford to send them to private institutes. My husband works as a mechanic. The last two and a half years have been difficult for us and my kids to adapt to changing curriculum and adjusting with online learning. The school does have a computer lab but I don't know if they have the necessary resources to teach and train kids with technology training," Asha narrated her ordeal.

She went on to say that her children, a student of class 7 and class 5, achieve high grades in social science subjects but lack necessary liking into other subjects such as maths and science. She fears that the growing demand of technical training and gaining popularity of complex subjects such as Robotics, AI and Coding will put her children at an end of preferential line in the future.

17-year-old Murthy, who has an avid interest in drone technology, believes that it was a blessing to come across a subject such as drone technology. He says that he competes in drone competitions across the country, with the moral support from his parents.

"I learnt most of the advanced drone technology information via YouTube and my school seniors. Learning these subjects almost feels like a breath of fresh air as it is something new to learn other than the subjects we are mandated to learn in school. Which is why schools also support introducing advanced skill learning at an early age. My parents see potential in me and in the subject. The only constraint is access to resources such as high-speed internet, software and hardware to build drones," Murthy explained.