The U.K.’s “Year of Code” Director Doesn’t Know How to Code
On Thursday, U.K. education officials launched a 500,000 pound
($820,000) initiative to promote interest in programming and to train
teachers. It’s called the “Year of Code,” yet the director freely admits that she doesn’t know how to code. Wonders never cease.
Director Lottie Dexter did an interview on Newsnight (a BBC current-events show kind of like the PBS NewsHour)
and told longtime host Jeremy Paxman the exact status of her skillz.
“I’m going to put my cards on the table, Jeremy. I can’t code. I’ve
committed this year to learning to code … so over this year I’m going to
see exactly what I can achieve,” Dexter said.
So this is weird, right? It’s not impossible for someone without
programming skills to be a coding advocate, but it seems like an odd
choice to position that person as the head of an effort that is supposed to incorporate tailored education and specific goals into a national movement.
Personal experience isn’t always generalizable, so even if Dexter
already knew how to code, it wouldn’t make sense to simply spread
education techniques based on what worked for her, but it is important
for someone managing almost $1 million in public funds to have some
expertise and be able to evaluate the best ways to engage people.
Jason Mayes, a Web designer and consultant, wrote on Google Plus
that “[g]etting someone who does not understand a subject to define a
curriculum for it is like me defining what doctors should study at med
school.” Others chimed in on Twitter:
In case you missed it, @lottiedexter the boss of the government’s coding education initiative cannot code http://t.co/HhW6wtAGq8
--Simon Singh (@SLSingh) February 6, 2014
This was a car crash interview, not sure why Paxman didn't eviscerate her. Director of 'year of code' can't code http://t.co/H3Brw0N8pb
--Jonathan Haynes (@JonathanHaynes) February 6, 2014
Lottie Dexter is the embodiment of how out of touch British politicians are with the real world outside their bubble http://t.co/DwyAlUHisw
--Philip Tysoe (@igniteflow) February 7, 2014
Dexter also claimed during her Newsnight interview that
teachers can be taught to program in a day and that people can make
websites in an hour. The coding controversy taps into broader criticisms
that the U.K.'s conservative Tory Party members, currently in power
under David Cameron, are out of touch with technology and its impact.
The liberal blog Political Scrapbook reports that Dexter got her appointment through Tory connections from previous jobs.
Whether or not programming skills should be a prerequisite for top
jobs at Year of Code, Dexter probably should have been better prepared
for her Newsnight interview. The silence while she struggled to explain programming was pretty damning.
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