Written by: British Council – Colombia Codes team
Colombia Codes is more than just a programme – it is a transformative, government-funded initiative that is reshaping the landscape of digital education across Colombia. Developed in partnership with the Ministry of ICT, and primarily financed by them, the programme has grown from a British Council-funded pilot into a national-scale effort to equip both students and educators with essential 21st century skills in coding and computational thinking.
Since its inception in 2019 as Coding for Kids, the initiative has undergone continuous learning, iteration and improvement. In 2023, following a change in government, it evolved into Colombia Codes, building on the foundational successes of its predecessors. Its multi-year implementation across two national administrations is a rare achievement in the Colombian education sector, where many programmes are short-lived. This sustained approach has enabled meaningful change by embedding learning, refining methodologies, and responding to evidence through robust monitoring and evaluation.
At the heart of the programme lies a shift from teacher-focused training to a whole-school model. Through the creation of over 420 coding hubs, schools now act as centres of excellence – embedding computational thinking within their communities. These hubs are not only delivering high-quality education but also cultivating peer-led professional development, ensuring that digital expertise remains within the system, even as staff change. The coding hub model draws direct inspiration from the UK’s National Centre of Computing Education (NCCE), which has pioneered a similar peer-to-peer model for computing in England.
Another major innovation is the development of a comprehensive computing curriculum, spanning from early childhood through to the eleventh Grade. This is a significant intervention in Colombia, as there was no national curriculum for computing. Development with support from UK-based BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT (www.bcs.org), the 3,200-page curriculum is designed to foster creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking. It provides teachers with structured, high-quality resources to integrate computational thinking across grade levels and subjects.
The programme has also invested in reaching the most marginalised rural communities, where many schools lack internet, computers or even electricity in some cases. To address this, the team developed Biobots, an analogue coding game that teaches fundamental computational concepts without digital devices. Biobots has proven especially effective in primary education and low-resource settings, and its national launch was endorsed by President Gustavo Petro, demonstrating the government’s commitment to inclusive education.
UK innovation has played a central role throughout the programme. More than 150,000 micro:bits, a UK-designed device for learning to code, have been distributed to public schools across Colombia, introducing students to physical computing in an engaging and hands-on way. The coding hubs model and school-level evaluation framework were inspired by the UK’s NCCE Computing Hubs and Computing Quality Framework. Colombia adopted and extended the latter to include a dedicated domain on gender equality, reflecting its strong commitment to egalitarianism in education. This alignment with UK expertise has made the programme a flagship example of international education cooperation, showcasing how British innovation can be adapted to local contexts for long-term impact.
Gender inclusion is at the heart of Colombia Codes. In 2018, Colombia had the widest gender gap in mathematics attainment among all OECD countries, with girls scoring 20 points lower than boys. Although recent assessments show improvement, the gap remains a significant concern, particularly in technology and engineering pathways. The programme tackles this challenge with a multi-layered strategy. Gender-sensitive teacher training, inclusive classroom practices, and targeted mentoring are central features. Teachers are now trained not only in coding, but in recognising and actively countering gender bias, whether in language, classroom dynamics, or access to technology.
Monitoring data shows a significant improvement in teachers’ confidence, self-efficacy, and intentional actions to support gender equality, especially among female teachers who initially lacked confidence. Class observations also revealed that 75 per cent of teachers were implementing gender equality strategies in practice, not just in self-reported behaviour. Students are also showing changes in perception. In 2022, pre- and post-programme surveys from nearly 7,900 students showed an increase in interest in STEM careers from 15.93 per cent to 23.35 per cent. In 2024, the scale of monitoring expanded significantly, with more than 67,000 students participating in testing. Results showed a 4per cent increase in STEM interest among elementary students (from 55.6 per cent to 59.6 per cent) and a 1.4 per cent increase among secondary students (from 58 per cent to 59.4 per cent). While the increases in interest among both boys and girls were marginal, they point to a positive trend. However, the gender gap in STEM interest persists, underscoring the need for ongoing, system-wide interventions to drive deeper and more equitable change.
Colombia Codes is designed not just for academic improvement, but to address critical labour market gaps. According to McKinsey, the country is projected to face a shortage of 265,000 technology-related jobs, including 112,000 in software development. By embedding digital education from an early age, the programme is laying the groundwork for a more competitive, future-ready workforce. This alignment with Colombia’s national economic priorities ensures that the programme is not only educationally effective but also strategically valuable at a macro level. It demonstrated how education can drive inclusive economic development, particularly when paired with strong government ownership and cross-sectorial partnership.
All curriculum materials developed through Colombia Codes are available under a Creative Commons licence, allowing schools across the country – and beyond – to adopt them freely. The open access approach supports long-term sustainability and enables ongoing local adaptation. The programme has already inspired British Council-led adaptations in Jamaica and Brazil, with local teams using Colombia’s materials and methodologies to address similar digital and gender inclusion goals.
A key focus for the future is blending computational thinking with bilingualism. By combining English language learning with coding, Colombia Codes can further enhance learners’ access to global education and employment opportunities, especially in tech, where English proficiency is a critical asset. The next step underscores the British Council’s unique ability to connect education, language, and technology in ways that create meaningful, cross-cutting impact.
Colombia Codes is not just about teaching students how to code, it is about driving systemic change. Through strong government partnerships, UK expertise, and a deep commitment to inclusion, the programme is reshaping what education looks like in Colombia. It has been a challenging journey, but the results speak for themselves - over one million students reached, thousands of teachers empowered, and a digital future that is more equitable, inclusive and full of opportunity.