Why should cybersecurity be taught in schools?

The increasing reliance on digital technology in education has created a vulnerable ground for hackers and cyber crimes. Introducing cybersecurity as a subject in schools is essential to equip students with the knowledge to identify and prevent cyber threats. The article highlights the major reasons for incorporating cybersecurity in schools, including saving teenagers from being victimized by cybercrimes, improving job prospects, and preparing students for a career in cybersecurity.

Cyber risks and cyber-attacks that students can face include distributed denial-of-service, IoT vulnerabilities, phishing, ransomware, data breach, and data manipulation. To address these risks, schools should introduce cybersecurity as a subject, starting with secondary and senior secondary school students. This will help students identify cyber threats, malinformation, and negative content and teach them quick preventive cybersecurity measures.

Introducing cybersecurity at the school level also sets the ground for students to mentally prepare and familiarize themselves with the growing need for cybersecurity. This can lead to suitable career opportunities in the field. The demand for cybersecurity jobs has been steadily increasing, with many tech giant companies requiring cybersecurity experts. According to Cyberseek, there is an annual shortage of 39,000 information security analysts.

In conclusion, teaching cybersecurity in schools is essential to equip students with the knowledge to stay safe online, improve their job prospects, and prepare them for a career in cybersecurity.