The Fourth Language

Fluency in computer programming will engage Indian students in meaningful interaction with the new digital species and help them create something original.

- Prithwis Mukerjee

THE THREE ‘R’s, Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic, are the three fundamental skills that are compulsory in the curriculum of all primary schools. Should another R, computer progRamming, be also included as the fourth fundamental skill? Computer programming, as in, Java or C++ – is already being taught as an optional subject in many schools in classes IX and X, and computer science is generally available as the “fourth” subject in classes XI and XII. Why do we, then, need to make it compulsory and burden our children with one more subject?

Before we address this question, we must first stop viewing computers as just another career option, a vocational skill, on par with, say, medicine, accounting, music or sports. Instead, we need to see it as an enabling tool that impacts all aspects of life. Programming teaches students to think logically, solve problems in a systematic manner and stimulates, creativity. Eventually, it will become a prerequisite for sharing our world with artificial intelligence (AI) and even new forms of life. Why?

A quick Google search on “why should schools teach computer programming” will throw many pages that support the premise of this article and we will base our arguments on some of them. But, before that, the very first step in our quest, namely searching in Google, reveals how entangled we are with computers. From the phone, through banks, e-commerce, global positioning system-controlled app-based cabs, all the way to cars, aircraft and hospitals, nothing moves without a computer and each and every computer is controlled by a program. So, at the very least, being able to write computer programs ensures a degree of relevance in the employment market. But, however powerful that may be as a reason to learn coding, the real reasons are significantly different and far more powerful.