Michael Gove admits schools should teach computer science

Education secretary Michael Gove has acknowledged that current ICT teaching in schools is out of date and that computer science has a place in secondary education.

Speaking to a group of young reporters at the Schools Network's national conference last week, he stated, "One of the problems we've had is that the ICT curriculum in the past has been written for a subject that is changing all the time. I think that what we should have is computer science in the future – and how it fits in to the curriculum is something we need to be talking to scientists, to experts in coding and to young people about."

The admission has been seen as a breakthrough by members of the UK games sector, who have been campaigning for more relevant computing education in British schools. As reported in the Guardian last week, industry body UKIE together with Google and a host of video game publishers have launched the Next Gen Skills campaign, calling for better creative computing lessons in schools. The games business is worth $2bn a year to the UK economy, but UKIE has argued that a more rigorous approach to computer science teaching will help the country compete across the full spectrum of digital industries.

Until recently, the Department of Education has failed to engage with the games industry, despite constant lobbying, and the support of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. However, the government's recent response to Nesta's Next Gen report on education and computing was positive, backing the calls for more in-depth computer science teaching, and promising to look in to providing more teachers skilled in the subject.

Ian Livingstone, the life president of games publisher Square Enix, has been pushing hard for the introduction of computer science to the national curriculum, and since Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, lent his high profile support to the cause in August, has been able to secure meetings with Gove's special advisor, Dominic Cummings.

Livingstone told The Guardian today, "I have had several meetings with special advisors at DfE before and after the recent official response to our Next Gen review. These meetings have been incredibly encouraging. There is now an understanding of the need for our children to be taught computer science in place of the office skills that are currently being taught as ICT. There is an understanding that computer science is to ICT as writing is to reading.

"That Michael Gove has stated publically the need for computer science to be taught in schools is nothing short of miraculous, and he is to be congratulated for saying, 'I think what we should have is Computer Science.' Wow! I'll buy the T-shirt!"

"But we have to be realistic," he continued. "Curriculum reform does not happen overnight. The task ahead is enormous requiring a modified curriculum, the creation of exams, teacher training or re-training and implementation. Of course nothing has been agreed yet by DfE but the winds of change are blowing through their corridors. Putting creative technology into the hands of creative children will inspire them to help build a digital future. Our children deserve the opportunity. I hope Michael Gove will let them have it."