Beijing teaches AI from primary school

According to an announcement on the Beijing Education Commission website, from the next school year, starting September 1, schools in the capital will teach at least eight hours of AI to students.

Schools can implement it as a standalone subject or in combination with existing subjects such as information technology or science .

China has long harbored ambitions to become a leader in AI. However, it wasn’t until early 2025 that the country gained attention with the emergence of DeepSeek. The startup launched a low-cost, high-performance AI inference model that is on par with its American competitors.

Primary school students get acquainted with humanoid robots in Chengdu (China). Photo: bastillepost

At the recent 14th National People's Congress, the Chinese government pledged to support AI models and AI hardware, develop open-source model systems, and invest in computing capacity and data to serve AI.

Speaking on the sidelines of the congress, Education Minister Huai Jinpeng said the AI-led technological revolution offers huge opportunities for education. He revealed that the country will publish an AI education white paper this year.

In 2024, the ministry will issue a major policy to encourage AI training right from primary and secondary schools. Primary schools will focus on AI experiences, while secondary schools will develop skills to be used in AI projects.

At the university level, schools are also stepping up efforts to incorporate AI into teaching, with more and more schools offering interdisciplinary training, as well as introducing AI courses and AI textbooks.

For example, Tsinghua University recently announced it will increase its enrollment by 150 by 2025 and establish a new school to train AI.

According to Xinhua News Agency , Tsinghua University's initiative aims to promote AI-related training and join China's efforts to become self-reliant and autonomous in science and technology.

As AI rapidly evolves, reshaping education and socio-economic development, the need for individuals with comprehensive AI knowledge and skills becomes increasingly urgent.

Wang Xuenan, deputy director of the Digital Education Research Institute of the National Academy of Education Sciences, said the number of students majoring in AI last year was more than 40,000, but it was still not enough to meet the country's needs.

Consulting firm McKinsey & Company estimates that China will need 6 million AI professionals by 2030.

(According to Chinadaily, Bloomberg)

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/bac-kinh-day-ai-tu-tieu-hoc-2378986.html