US President Barack Obama is taking tech education to a higher level by allotting $4 billion of his 2017's budget for rebooting of the computer education through the "Computer Science for All" initiative.
Obama has announced last weekend that the budget is geared towards ensuring that all kids, with special attention to girls and minorities, will be getting the chance to learn the science of computer through his Computer Science for All initiative.
Computer Science for All is a three-year initiative that would provide a bdget for all states to train their teachers about computer science, equip classrooms with necessary equipment, and develop classroom materials that would make learning the subject easier. The initiative only lacks the approval from the Republican-led Congress.
"In the new economy, computer science isn't an optional skill -- it's a basic skill, right along with the three Rs," Obama said as he announced the plan in his weekly radio address. "9 out of 10 parents want it taught at their children's schools."
As of present, only a quarter of K-12 schools offer computer science, with 22 states not considering it as a ticket to achieving a diploma, Obama said.
"The initiative is just the latest to help bridge a well-documented tech education gap. In the fewer than 15 percent of all high schools that offered any Advanced Placement computer science courses in 2015, only 22 percent of those who took the exam were girls, and only 13 percent were African-American or Latino students," The White House said.
Another part of Obama's plan is to send $100 million directly to school districts to aid in launching several computer science programs. In addition, Obama's plans also include the spending of $315 million in existing funds by the National Science Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service on teacher training over a five-year period, which is expected to commence this year.
Part of the president's plan also is to call for support from lawmakers, governors, mayors and business and tech leaders.
Microsoft has already expressed their willingness to be a part of this initiative. Company president Brad Smith has reportedly told reporters that Microsoft is launching a campaign for their computer science education programs.
