(versione italiana qua)
The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), just submitted to the Chamber of Deputies, acknowledges the importance of the “digital transition,” which is mentioned 21 times. On the other hand, this is one of the six pillars on which the European Commission requires such plans to be built, so it could hardly have been otherwise.
It seems to me, however, that the project lines the PNRR sets out for developing Italy's digital transition are seriously lacking on the education and training front.
Digital technology is changing society in a way that is far more radical than what happened with the Industrial Revolution. This is because its machines enhance human reasoning capabilities, yet they are completely devoid of the adaptability and learning capacity that human beings possess. As a result, digital transformation is often carried out according to traditional industrial automation patterns, which, however, concerned machines that only amplified people's physical abilities. The result is digital systems that stiffen work processes instead of making them leaner (when they don't fail in their automation goal altogether).
The fundamental and overriding prerequisite for digital transition to happen in a way that is not only effective but also respectful of human dignity and social wellbeing is therefore a cultural transformation first — that is, investing in education and training. An indispensable step toward producing citizens who are adequately grounded in the foundational concepts of the science underpinning today's digital society is introducing informatics into schools. In the most advanced nations, this is pursued not only to cultivate citizens who are fully aware of everything at stake in the digital world and capable of actively shaping its evolution, but also to drive economic growth and development. Educating people in the disciplines that underpin digital transformation gives a country the ability to steer its own development, with the in-house expertise needed to produce the goods and services that will increasingly be based on digital systems. This also delivers the added benefit of a multiplier effect on the future economy.
This is a strategic factor for any nation. On one hand, there is an ever-increasing dependence of products and services on information technologies in all phases of design, production, and delivery. On the other, it must be kept in mind that the social fabric itself (relationships and communications) is now densely intertwined with digital tools. The vitality and success of a democratic country in an increasingly digital future will therefore depend largely on the level of informatics culture of its citizens.
Against a backdrop of countries around the world that, without any fuss about digital skills and problem solving, have simply embedded computer science into school curricula at every level, the NRRP refers to "digital competencies" no fewer than 24 times, without once mentioning informatics as a subject of study. On the subject of new competencies for students, the NRRP states (p. 189): «The most important measure will be a mandatory coding course for all students during their school cycle.» This was a measure from the old European Commission Digital Education Action Plan.
It is worth recalling that as early as December 2015 the United States incorporated computer science into federal legislation as a core subject necessary to provide all students with a balanced education fit for the 21st century, on a par with more traditional disciplines (such as language arts, mathematics, and science, to name just a few). Since then, all 50 states have implemented, to varying degrees, policies to put this direction into practice, and the results are visible in the growing number of students (including young women) enrolling in university programs in computer science. In the United Kingdom, the British government allocated £82 million in November 2018 to launch an institute dedicated to training teachers to teach computing in schools, and it is now operating at full capacity. Just a few months ago, Denmark began discussions on allocating 750 million kroner (approximately €100 million) for a similar initiative. In Poland, informatics has been a compulsory subject since the 2018–19 school year, starting in primary school. In Israel, computer science can be taken as an elective subject beginning in fourth grade, with advanced topics covered at upper secondary level. In France, a specific certification for teaching informatics in lower secondary school was introduced in 2018–19.
In a Senate hearing dedicated to the NRRP, I presented the situation described above.
In the new Digital Education Action Plan (DEAP 2021-27), the European Commission stated [COM(2020) 624 final of September 30, 2020]: «Computing education in schools allows young people to gain a sound understanding of the digital world. Introducing pupils to computing from an early age, through innovative and motivating approaches to teaching, in both formal and non-formal settings, can help develop skills in problem-solving, creativity and collaboration. It can also foster interest in STEMrelated studies and future careers while tackling gender stereotypes. Actions to promote high quality and inclusive computing education can also impact positively on the number of girls pursuing IT-related studies in higher education and, further on, working in the digital sector or digital jobs in other economic sectors.»
The question therefore arises quite naturally: how do we expect to manage the digital transition in Italy if we do not provide all students with a basic education in informatics?
When any citizen today sees a piece of machinery, they no longer think of it as some kind of "black magic" — because they studied at school the basic scientific principles that allow them to understand that there are no "miracles" in technology.
What are we waiting for to do the same for the digital world?
--The original version (in italian) has been published by "Key4Biz" on 26 April 2021.
