A programming school, Logiscool, has launched its first Computer Coding School for kids and teens between the ages of six to 18 years, for a tuition fee of N200,000 per semester, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The school, an international programming school organised for regular computer coding after-school classes and summer camps, was launched in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the digital literacy school for computer coding first started in Budaörs, Hungary, in January 2014. It is now in over 110 countries and have more that 110,000 students enrolled in 22 countries.
It started as an idea by the owners to search for after school essence, in a bid to create digitally literate people armed with algorithmic thinking and creativity, to bridge the gap between what schools were producing and the knowledge that shaped the marketplace.
Mrs Jasmina Marcikic, Logiscool School Manager in Nigeria, said the school’s main aim was to create a platform that would enhance the development of digital literacy amongst young Nigerians.
She also stated that the launch of the school in Nigeria would provide investment opportunities for small businesses, including creating chances of making high returns for the country.
“We want to create digitally literate young people with the knowledge they gain here, not just in programing skills, but through the problem-solving fun-based activities, they will become much more prepared to fit into the highly demanding tech market space.
“I know they do not get this type of training in the regular schools and universities. From my experience, it is not just Nigeria, this age group is usually not targeted.
“There is a master franchise and there is also an opportunity for us, as you can see, the school here to sell the franchise to other single units. So, we are also searching for partners because this one is for small-sized businesses.
“We do not have too many staff, it is not a big investment, it is also an investment opportunity for small businesses, the returns on the investment is very fast and then we give them know-how from the marketing training.
“They get the proper training in our franchise,” she said.
Marcikic pointed out that not all Nigerians can afford the training for their kids, hence the reason for their plan to partner with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to help less privileged Nigerian children to be part of the training process.
In a world driven by technology, she added that the school used a carefully designed curriculum to teach children how to become active creators of technology, not just passive users.
She explained that the learning was practical-based, centered around solving tasks in order to support their development for years to come, citing the small class sizes and young trainers as guaranteeing not only a good atmosphere but immediate success and long-term results.
“Not everybody can afford this type of education and come directly to our schools, but through NGOs, we think that the kids and underprivileged kids can learn digital literacy. Nigeria is starting to be very popular, there are no country boundaries.
“We have some of these kids that cannot go to proper schools, but if we can in the future maybe find proper partners we are willing to give this kind of education to many more students.
“Children do not just use their phones to play games, here they actually learn to create something and be creators. We are not just creating programmers, we are creating digitally literate kids through a unique kind of learning methodology.
Marcikic, speaking about the uniqueness of the Nigerian market, said “during the last one year, due to the Covid-19, we all realised how much online education we needed and the impact of digitalisation.
“I have good cooperation with people here and in the headquarters, Budaörs, Hungary, I am not from Nigeria but I have been here for seven years, so everybody who is taking the franchise to their various countries know the local conditions , because you need that knowledge,” she said. (NAN)
