Microsoft, Credit Bank strike deal with Kodris to support coding classes in Kenyan schools

This comes just a week after the country approved a new curriculum for secondary and primary school students that will teach coding, a first in Africa.

The partnership will see the three firms working together to promote use of Kodris Africa Studio by students in Kenya and then rolled out into the rest of Africa. The studio is an online platform where the content is loaded.

Coding is the act of translating human intentions into commands that computers can understand to create modern use digital solutions such as mobile money transfer and smart devices.

The partnership also comes in the backdrop of Microsoft’s recent launch of a $27 million (Ksh.3 billion) research and development center in Nairobi dubbed the Microsoft Africa Development Center. The facility will house the engineering, design, research, and innovation teams, as well as the Microsoft Garage, an incubation hub launched as part of the ongoing efforts to scale tech innovation in the continent. 

“The Ministry of Education has made a great step in the right direction by approving a product that will enhance digital literacy among students in Kenya. We enjoin ourselves in this journey to bring this piece of education to Kenyan schools. Students who learn and understand coding have an advantage of becoming full participants – rather than merely spectating – in a heavily computerized and digitized world,” the center’s Program Manager Irene Githinji said on Wednesday.

According to Kodris Africa CEO Mugumo Munene, individuals will have a free trial (15 tasks) after which they will pay Ksh.330 per week for access.

“Learners deserve all the knowledge that they can acquire in their years of study so that they can stand shoulder to shoulder with their peers from around the world,” he added.

Kodris last month stated that in order to roll out the curriculum, they will seek synergy with other partners.

The publishing company is offering the syllabus in 48 other nations across the continent.