Children are our future, and the future is full of technological advancements that we can scarcely imagine. As such, it's important that we equip today's children with an education that will help them once when they leave school and become a part of the real work. To that end, search giant Google has announced plans to provide UK schools with over 100 trainee computer science teachers.
Google will join forces with Teach First, a UK charity that takes graduates and turns them into teachers. Teach First and Google will work together during a three year partnership to train and support 102 ICT and science teachers to work in schools serving some of the country’s lowest income communities. This will include 61 ICT and 41 science teachers.
However, Google and Teach First aren't just providing the teachers, they're also providing the equipment. Google has committed to providing each teacher with a bursary to fund the purchase of innovative teaching aides to inspire and enthuse their classes. Speaking today at the London Science Museum, Google's Eric Schmidt mentioned Raspberry Pi and Arduino as examples of what these teachers might purchase for their classes.
"Computer science brings a practical rigor and creativity to problem-solving that differs from that of other disciplines," ZDNet quotes Schmidt as saying. "It's vital to expose kids to this early if they're to have the chance of a career in computing. Only two percent of Google engineers say they weren't exposed to computer science at high school."
The first 34 teachers will be entering classrooms in September 2012. Another 34 will enter in 2013, with the last 34 starting in September 2014.
