Education in India has always been theorized as monotonous and old. It mostly concentrated on literal and point-to-point learning until the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 came into effect. The policy has the strength to change the whole dynamic of Indian Education. When it comes to subjects like coding, AI, design thinking, etc. they never receive the spotlight they rightfully deserve. Coding has always been looked at as something unimportant and comparatively tough. People often tend to ignore the actual benefits of coding. The NEP has surely paved new paths for such subjects to reach the desired audience in the most effective way. It has been made sure that these essential subjects and skills are included in the curriculum. Education is not just going to be NCERT textbooks anymore. It is not going to be just about science or commerce anymore. The proposed handpicking of subjects will not only open students to new opportunities but also help them find and develop a completely new skill, which will make them more efficient and creative at the same time.

There has always been a sagaciousness about programming as something that is bespoked for the most intellectual minds – those who can type 100 words per minute while looking at a screen of text that is boundlessly scrolling. But this is egregious. Anybody can code regardless of whatever shortcomings he/she might have. The very important skill of problem solving can be easily solved by learning to code. This subject asks for a lot of concentration, patience and diligence. Along with career flexibility it provides great analytical thinking. But this article isn’t entirely about the benefits of coding. The whole COVID-19 period has been a testing phase for everybody. Be it a small businessman or a huge politician. These past months have been a nightmare to our economy. But there are a few sectors who have made unimaginable profits. We are going to talk about one such entity. The Whitehat Jr. Many similar organisations like Whitehat Jr (junior) have provided endless resources for students interested in coding. COVID has changed the way of learning across the country. Online education has already set its roots deep. This is where learning websites and companies like Whitehat Jr, Byjus, Unacademy, etc. play a major role. Basically Whitehat Jr. offers to teach kids from 6 years of age about the basics of coding. Is it too soon? 

Well, in my personal opinion learning anything is purely based on one’s interest and nothing else. Many of us have often heard people saying learning has no age. The same applies to coding too. There is nothing wrong in teaching a 6 year old and nothing wrong in learning something even if you are only six years old. But things go wrong when there is a conflict of interest. How is this conflict of interest created in the first place? We all know how Chintu from the Whitehat Jr advertisement has been trending. This is where the company overstepped. Advertising by using a 6 year old as an example is not acceptable. This creates a sense of insecurity in the minds of the parents who are watching the ad. Portraying coding as a good career opportunity is not incorrect. But doing so through the medium of a 6 year old is completely wrong. Parents who aren’t aware of the reality and who aren’t that educated tend to make pointless conclusions. They may try to entitle their kids to coding. They end up dropping loads of burdens on their child who may just not be ready for it. Here, the company’s idea is not at fault but their marketing strategies are. 

Such advertisements create an atmosphere which makes the people narrow-minded. This narrow-mindedness in turn results in poor decision-making. The efficiency and the potential of a student are destroyed. And when has imposing something on someone forcefully ever yielded good results? So basically all I’m trying to say is while NEP has paved a beautiful way, it is our responsibility to use it wisely. When essential skills have finally been given importance, it is our duty to keep it open and secure. The system may change 100 times for good or bad. But along with the system we need to change too. So yes, Chintu may have created an app at the age of six. But the lesson we need from this is that proper dedication and interest can always get you results. Blindly following someone or something and doing things just because others have benefitted from it too will only make you a fool. Never go against your will and interest. So yes, Chintu is smart but we need to understand the true meaning behind Chintu’s significance.