SK Telecom’s Coding Education for Children Becomes School Curriculum in Barcelona

• ‘Smart Robot Coding School,’ SK Telecom’s coding education solution for children, launches in Barcelona

• SKT-GSMA-Telefónica’s three-way partnership helped the solution become a Spanish elementary school’s curriculum

• It teaches children how to develop software programs and math skills in a fun and easy way

SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM) announced that the company will partner with Global System Mobile Association (GSMA) and Spain’s No.1 mobile carrier Telefónica to introduce South Korea’s coding education to Barcelona, Spain.

The company said that its Smart Robot Coding School will be added to the school curriculum at La Salle Bonanova, an elementary school in Barcelona.

Smart Robot Coding School was first launched in February 2014 to provide programming education to children aged 6-10. This training program teaches children how to develop software programs and match skills in a fun and easy way, using smart devices such as smartphones and tablets, and the company’s artificial intelligence robot “Albert.” SK Telecom’s Smart Robot Coding School won “Global Corporate Award” at ITU Telecom World Awards in September 2017.

Some of the company’s training contents to be launched at La Salle Bonanova are ▲”Analogue Coding Class,” a programming course that can be operated without connecting to power ▲ “Albert, the genius at math” which aims to enhance children’s capacity in mathematics ▲ “Albert, the soccer genius,” which brings sports into educational contexts. This one-year course will be provided to three classes at La Salle Bonanova.

For the training program, SK Telecom will provide smart coding robot “Albert” and educational contents in Spanish while Telefónica will offer professional coding trainers. Through “M School,” a MWC-linked program, GSMA will introduce schools participating in the pilot coding program to emphasize the importance of coding education.

The partnership between SK Telecom and GSMA was formed at last year’s “YoMo (Youth Mobile Festival),” an ICT festival focusing on inspiring youth that was held as part of the MWC 2017.

At the MWC 2017, SK Telecom operated T.um Mobile, a travelling ICT museum, to provide cutting-edge ICT courses such as smart robot coding education, VR, AR and hologram in both Spanish and English to children in Barcelona.

“In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of ensuring that ‘no one is left behind,’ the importance of teaching children coding skills is increasing,” said Yoon Yong-chul, Executive Vice President and head of Communication Center, SK Telecom. “Since 2014, SK Telecom has been running smart robot coding education business with Telefónica. Utilizing the know how obtained from the partnership, we could develop an experience-based program that can also benefit overseas market.”