Abstract
The French primary education system has long chosen to ignore computer science as a subject to be taught, confusing it with competence in the use of computers - which has very little to do with it. It has only been a subject in its own right at lycée since 2019, with a general lecture in seconde and a baccalauréat option in première and terminale. The situation varies from country to country. In Poland, for example, it has been taught for a long time; in England, it was declared a subject in its own right in 2010; in the United States, President Obama has made a personal commitment to its teaching, and it is seen as a major subject in India and South Korea. After recalling the French history of its teaching and the situation in other European countries, the lecture drew a distinction between two levels of teaching : digital literacy, and true understanding of the central concepts essential to being able to understand or create new applications in any field. He insisted on the importance of teaching in primary and secondary schools, which is unfortunately still very timid, and which could benefit fromunplugged lectures and exercises, enabling a good understanding of the main concepts without the use of computer devices. Finally, he detailed the new high school curricula, for which I was co-pilot in the design and writing of the CSP (Conseil supérieur des programmes), and the reasons for the choices made.
