National Bank of Kenya has partnered with Kodris Africa, co-creators of Kenya’s Coding Curriculum for schools, to roll out a payments platform that’ll be used to pay for the curriculum. With this partnership, customers will be able to directly pay from any of the 85 National Bank branches across the country.

NBK Acting Managing Director Peter Kioko said that the partnership will enable Kodris customers to access the bank’s wide branch network as part of deepening education in the country.

“National Bank, as part of the KCB Group, has a relationship with a network of over 50,000 schools in the country and we will therefore be able to tap into this network in our collaboration with Kodris Africa,” said Mr Kioko.

He added that coding is the language of technology, “and this is where the world is going. Everything is being driven by technology. I am encouraged to see a programme that is focused on molding young students at a tender age, in readiness for the real world.”

Kodris Africa CEO Mugumo Munene said that the partnership with NBK seeks to make it easier for parents and schools “who are ready to start on this novel and important journey” to make payments.

“This partnership with a top-tier bank is groundbreaking because it will ease payments for our unique product and allow ease of access to our clients wherever they are,” said Mr Munene.

The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development approved the Kodris Africa programme for deployment in primary and secondary schools in Kenya as coding – the act of creating instructions and commands for computers – tops in prominence as one of the most important subjects of study today.

Mr Mugumo added that the partnership will provide Kodris’ customers – both corporate and individual – with a payment solution for the monthly, quarterly, or yearly license through the Bank.

“We are tailoring the payment solutions to meet the reality on the ground, and the reality is that parents want a provision for staggered payment plans,” he said.

Kodris Africa’s Coding for Schools was formally launched earlier this month by ICT and Youth Affairs Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru in Nairobi who noted that the world was now being driven by digitisation.

“The launch of coding for schools could not have come at a better time and my ministry commits to supporting this initiative,” said Mr Mucheru.

Kenya is the first country in Africa to fully integrate coding into the school curriculum, charting the way for other countries to embed it in their school system. Kodris Africa’s product is approved by KICD and internationally accredited by Pearson.