Computer programing education on the rise

AS Chinese parents are paving the way for their children’s future, computer programing has gone viral across China.

Miaocode, a Chinese startup offering online coding lessons for primary and high school students, has announced the closing of a pre-A round of funding of 16 million yuan (US$2.55 million).

“We have seen a 50 percent surge in user subscriptions and 85 percent of student users have finished their classes since last year. The funding will help us design more tailored courses and improve services,” said Guan Chunhua, founder of Miaocode.

Coding was not well-known among Chinese a decade ago, but now even preschoolers are starting coding classes as China is pushing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.

Since 2015, the Chinese government has been issuing guidelines encouraging schools to experiment with STEM education, including coding.

An AI development plan issued by State Council describes the setting and promoting of coding education, and encourages institutes and companies to design teaching software and other related games.

According to a report by Deloitte, the investment in Chinese startups in STEM education has made a 15-fold increase from 2014 to 2017. More and more private-education providers are eyeing the market.