Computing education in schools is in a dire state—we have known that for some time now.

Over the last couple of years, reports came out thick and fast stating that school age students find computing boring, that fewer students are taking computing classes, that offerings of computer science in schools is declining, and that this is  leading to a severe skills shortage. All seemed to indicate that students are really not interested in programming anymore.

Then today I stumbled upon this report of a survey of UK GCSE school students. (For the non-Brits: the GCSE is a set of tests that students take at the age of about 16.) And the result: Many students want more programming!

Quote:

Most students (63 per cent) said they would have liked more subjects to choose from. Topping the wish list for school based learning is computer programming voted for by almost a quarter (22 per cent).

So it’s not the students who are losing interest at all. It is just that computing in schools has gone so off track that it is actively turning the kids away. Lets go out and get programming back into schools!