Tryst Of Kid With Coding

Kids of the current generation have started to learn how to code while most of us were learning how to tie our shoelaces, comb our hair, and even how to dress properly at the same age. WhiteHat Jr., an EduTech start-up, is teaching children between age 6 to 14 to code. The company is efficiently imparting coding classes through one on one live classes with the students.   

Although coding might seem to be a complex process, Karan Bajaj, Founder & CEO, WhiteHat Jr believes, “Coding is rather a creative process as you channelize fundaments logically to create games, animation, and applications. So, it’s a more enjoyable process than a complex process”. 

Aadit Dey, a student of Greenwood School - Bangalore, was introduced to coding at his school, but he believes that WhiteHat Jr course totally got him hooked. “The course introduced two new platforms for me, code.org and Thunkable. The app Lab, Game lab environments are phenomenal and lets you do so many things. With this course and the one taught at school, I am already familiar with three coding platforms and will hopefully soon be coding more and much faster” he said. 

On the selection of coding language according to the needs of the child, Bajaj said, "Our focus is on computational thinking and logic rather than syntax. Also, we introduce languages like JavaScript and Python to the kids in our third module”. 

Concentration and creativity in kids by learning to code at an early age has been backed by scientific reports. In a recent study, researchers found that teaching coding to 8-year old kids can improve their logical skills and creativity. Bajaj said, “There’s a lot of research done by premier institutes like MIT and kids who have gone through early standard coding have shown an improved logic by 75 per cent logic and concentration by 300 per cent, etc”.

With the advent of the 4th industrial revolution, it is expected that by 2020 AI and robotics will touch 800 million jobs and the world will split into creators and consumers. Learning to code can help in making kids future ready apart from improving their creativity and logical skills. 

Karan believes, “For kids, it is mutually exclusive, learning to code improves language and makes them future-ready. Coding makes you a creator, you learn to create things, build games, apps, and animations. And then a psychological shift happens when they see other coded things and start to believe that they can also build such apps, games, and animations”. 

“After that whether you choose to create in writing a novel or you choose to create in making a software company or you choose to create some other invention, the most important thing is the shift that happens in your kid’s mind”, he further added. 

Most parents might feel that adding another coaching class will burden their already overwhelmed child. Anjali, mother of 12-year old son feels that her child is already equipped with so many co-curricular activities and adding one more can even add more stress to the kid.  

Disagreeing to the fact, Bajaj said, “The students have the freedom of setting up their own time for the classes. There are two classes a week and they have enough time on either weekdays or weekends to attend them. Also, I think the classes are enjoyable and there is always time to enjoy”. 

WhiteHat Junior is a 9-month old start-up, and according to Karan, their business is growing at a rate of 100 per cent per month. Also, their monthly revenue has already hit the million-dollar mark. Since its beta launch in January in India, the company has conducted more than 50,000 trials and currently conducts 500 online classes per day.

Aman Rawat

BW Reporters Aman is a Graduate in Bio-Chemistry and a Post Graduate in Journalism from IIMC. Presently he is sharpening his knowledge in the domain of Mind Body and the Soul.