Microcomputers Coming Soon for Fifth Graders in Varaždin

All fifth-grade students in primary schools, founded by Varaždin County, will receive BBC micro:bit microcomputers as part of the STEM revolution project based on an agreement signed on Monday in Varaždin by Varaždin County Prefect Predrag Štromar and the President of the Institute for Development and Innovation of Youth Nenad Bakić.

>>>More than 1500 citizens and companies donated to the campaign for STEM education of Croatian schoolchildren

Prefect Štromar assessed that the curriculum is outdated and emphasized that Varaždin County is the first to embark on this project as it aims to develop digital literacy and creativity among students by procuring microcomputers.

– Our children are learning things they will never need in life… We want to gift all fifth graders a microcomputer on which they will program. This is unavoidable, and I am sure that in 10-15 years, more than 30 percent of employees will need to know some form of programming. In this way, we are providing our students with equal opportunities in the labor market of Europe and developed countries, said Štromar.

Digital Literacy and Digital Creativity

He announced that students will receive microcomputers around May 10 and that they will have a month to learn, starting their application in September when they begin sixth grade. By then, Varaždin County should also procure new micro:bits for the new generation of fifth-grade students.

The President of the Institute for Development and Innovation of Youth, Nenad Bakić, and the new advisor to the Croatian President for digital transformation and STEM, Nenad Bakić, stated that they have already distributed 22,000 micro:bits in the STEM revolution project.

– The micro:bit is the right tool to bring digital literacy and digital creativity to every child in Croatia, enabling them to become equal citizens of the 21st century when competencies are something different from what is taught in Croatian schools, said Bakić, adding that they surpassed the number of a thousand institutions yesterday, mostly primary and secondary schools, higher education institutions, universities, associations, and children’s homes.

Štromar emphasized that 90 percent of students in Varaždin County attend single-shift classes, and in ten centers of excellence, more than 800 students from primary and secondary schools are additionally educated, which he considers excellent prerequisites for the STEM revolution project.