Alliance IT strategy for schools: One "if" too many, otherwise DÖ-safe

Digital inclusion Digitalization Skills supply Education and training

The Alliance's proposal for a national strategy for school digitalization is as promising as it is urgent. It is gratifying that the People's Party is now also on board - we are happy to forget all previous tardiness, as long as we keep going. With an even clearer focus on programming in addition, the government is welcome to launch the initiative for a strategy - why not as a long-term DÖ-safe agreement?

On Wednesday (10/6), the Alliance presented its proposal for a national strategy for school digitalization. This has been called for by many stakeholders, not least by schools themselves. It is not reasonable that thousands of schools under 300 municipal and private school principals should each be forced to develop their own strategy, and make the same kind of mistakes a thousand times over along the way.

In its proposal, the Alliance explicitly refers to the Decision Book, which we at IT&Telekomföretagen produced together with Datorn i Utbildningen in the summer of 2013. In that report, we highlighted the importance of not only raising teachers' IT skills, but also investing in the skills of head teachers and in practice-driven research. This and much more is being embraced by the Alliance, for which we tip our hats.

In one respect, however, the Alliance is too passive, which makes us in the IT sector very concerned. This is the question of the role of programming in the curriculum. Here, the Alliance writes: "Analyze whether and, if so, how programming and digital creation can be introduced as a mandatory part of the curriculum". For our part, the text I have italicized can be deleted, and the bolded "may" can be replaced by "shall".

Because seriously, programming is now as integral to our entire economy and society as electricity. Who questions the place of electricity in the curriculum?

With a clarification in this part, paired with a clear investment in raising teachers' skills in teaching programming and digital creation, the government may, for our part, launch the initiative for strategy straight away. Why not as a long-term, DÖ-safe agreement?