Per The Carolina Journal, on February 14, the North Carolina House Education Committee passed a new bill requiring high school students to take computer science before graduation. Said bill will go into effect for the 2024-2025 school year.

Titled House Bill 8, this new measure will substitute computer science for earth science as a graduation prerequisite, making the latter an elective. Currently, high school students in North Carolina must take three science courses – biology, physical science, and earth science – to get their diploma.

The North Carolina State Board of Education was called to submit a list of approved computer science courses by July 1.

As Rep. John Torbett, R-Gaston, notes, a significant chunk of jobs in today’s professional landscape need computer knowledge of some kind.

“Seventy percent of jobs will require computer science in some form or fashion. If we don’t teach it to our children, we are doing a disservice to them by not having it,” he said.

We couldn’t agree more. Technology is an essential part of our lives. We can’t function without it. Why shouldn’t we better equip our kids for a future where technological advancements will increase at a greater rate?

As of 2022, the global internet penetration rate is at 63%. There are currently 5 billion internet users worldwide. Additionally, we can expect global data production to exceed 463 exabytes (a unit of computer data storage) by 2025.

Making computer science a graduation requirement is a massive step in the right direction. Hats off to North Carolina policymakers for implementing a law that looks toward the future.

Here at the Dottie Rose Foundation, we want our girls to learn all they can about computer science so they have an advantage when working in the field. It’s all about ensuring they’re as prepared as possible to change the world for the better.