Coding is a crucial future skill as we transition into an increasingly digital world.
In recognition of this, Expo 2020 Dubai has teamed up with Accenture, a Premier Partner, to host ‘2020 Hours of Code’.
The initiative, which launched during UAE Innovation Month in February, will comprise 2,020 hours of coding tutorials for UAE-based primary school students between now and the start of the next World Expo on October 20, 2020.
The weekly sessions will take place at the Expo 2020 Dubai Visitor Centre, enabling young people from across the emirates to develop their coding and computer science skills in a fun, engaging environment. Computers will be provided for each session, and tutorials will be available in both Arabic and English.
Delivered in collaboration with the Expo School Programme, the initiative seeks to take digital literacy among the nation’s youth to the next level. The goal is for students not just to learn coding, but to love it, too.
Helping to address major skill gaps, in line with Accenture’s ‘Skills to Succeed’ programme, ‘2020 Hours of Code’ will focus on building invaluable critical-thinking and problem-solving mindsets. These skills can be useful to all students in the future, regardless of their career interests.
Coding is an important focus for the UAE’s leadership, as the country strives to cement its position as a digital hub in the region. Initiatives to date have included ‘One Million Arab Coders’, announced in 2017 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Expo 2020 is committed to hosting one of the most innovative World Expos in history, and ‘2020 Hours of Code’ brings to life its theme of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, as well as its subtheme of Opportunity.
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