Code Club gets $1 million birthday present

Code Club Australia says new funding will help it extend its reach into rural and regional areas.

On the eve of its first birthday, an Australian organisation that improves school-aged children's digital literacy has received a $1 million  present from the federal government and the Telstra Foundation.

Code Club Australia is an after-school coding program for children aged nine to 11. The volunteer-led non-profit organisation – supported by companies including the Telstra Foundation, Google Computer Science For High School, and the Coder Factory – teaches children how to design video games, animations and websites. It also trains teachers in coding.

"The Turnbull government's commitment of $500,000 matches the support of the Telstra Foundation and will help Code Club Australia nearly double its reach for teaching coding to primary school children in Australia," federal education minister Simon Birmingham said in a statement.

"Code Club is a great way to engage children from an early age in the world of computing and programming, skills that will serve them well throughout their schooling life and beyond."

The minister said the funds could be used to address the sharp decline in computer literacy among school-aged children, as reflected in the latest report from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.

Less than half of grade 6 and 10 students demonstrated proficiency in their ability to use a computer and the internet, the report showed.

Code Club's national program manager Kelly Talagan​ said the funds would be used to expand its operation into far-north Queensland and regional NSW, and other areas of slow economic growth.

"Code Club is certainly dedicated to more rural and remote areas and low-SES communities," she said. "We know that these areas are where we do the most high-impact work. This means that we know we're putting our free resources into the hands of volunteers who are leading Code Clubs for kids who otherwise may not get access to this kind of education until they enter secondary or tertiary education."