Code Chautari

... Kathmandu, Nepal


Overview

Code Chautari is one of those interventions, an idea that, provided with a quality education on computer literacy and programming, students in public schools could develop the necessary skills empowering them to compete globally. We are currently running an after school program for public schools with a series of connected classes on Computer Literacy and Computational Thinking. Classes run 5 days a week, with extended classes if necessary. Each class is about an hour long which encompasses PBL (Problem based learning) and hands-on learning approach. Students learn not from books or teachers, but experientially by doing on the computer itself. The primary beneficiaries of the program are all the participating kids in our classes. They experience direct involvement with all the activities and instructor support. The secondary beneficiaries of the program are: a. Other non-participating students, friends and family members of participants. b. Teachers of the school through workshops and training.


Mission

Every child deserves to code and bring their imagination to life.

Our mission has five main pillars.

Computer Literacy

Make kids computer literate so that they can use digital tools and the internet to build other skills and knowledge required for higher studies or future career.

Computational Thinking

Develop computational thinking ideas ( Decomposition, Pattern Recognition, Abstraction and Algorithmic Design ) and problem solving skills through programming/coding as a tool.

Self-Directed Learning

Develop 'self-directed learning' mindset and researching skills. Build habits of using digital tools to strengthen and broaden knowledge in any topic or subject.

Career

Provide exposure to the kids about programming so that they can experience it first-hand and decide for themselves if they see it as a subject/career they want to pursue in the future.

4C's of 21st Century Learning Skills

Develop the four C’s - Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Collaboration in students' mental processes required to adapt and improve upon a modern work/study environment


History

For the first phase, Code Chautari was implemented in Jana Uddhar Secondary School (JUSS) in Budhanilakantha, Kathmandu, Nepal. This project in JUSS was supported by NDC Conferences. Initially, 16 students from grade 7 and 8 (male and female ratio maintained to 50:50) participated in the classes.

7 of these students successfully completed a one year course on Computer Literacy, Introduction to Programming and Computational Thinking unit by submitting 4 Computer Literacy assessments, 30 guided projects and 1 final project in Scratch along with 20 programming examples in Python.

7 of them successfuly completed a six months course on Computer Literacy and Introduction to Scratch Programming by submitting 4 Computer Literacy assessments and 10 guided projects in Scratch. 

1 of them successfully completed a six months course on Introduction to Programming and Computational Thinking by submitting  30 guided projects and 1 final project in Scratch along with 20 programming examples in Python.