Coding has established itself as one of the most important “languages” of the future. A language that Hanan Khader became fluent in aged only 10 years old. “We were the first in our neighbourhood to have a computer and it opened up a whole new world. I started to code in my spare time and every achievement filled me with pride and a burning desire to accomplish more.”

Three decades later, Hanan is a talented programmer, recognized in Jordan as a prominent tech expert and often represents her country in Silicon Valley. However, it was during a discussion with her children whilst attending an overseas seminar that altered Hanan’s career and focus almost instantaneously. Having never considered teaching coding herself, Hanan learned that her children were learning only the most basic of computer skills in school. “My children recounted how they had learnt how to use a mouse in their IT class that day. I was disappointed in this basic level of education and asked myself: why aren’t children being taught skills that can help shape their future?”

Knowing that the demand for programmers is increasing, Hanan realised that something needed to be done to bridge the gap between the market demand and supply of software engineers, and prepare the next generation. There are numerous benefits that come with learning how to code: “not only can programming improve children’s’ critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, but long term it will enrich the start-up and entrepreneurship ecosystem with many more young innovators, which will lead into more innovative idea generation, investment and employment opportunities”.