The following notice outlines China’s efforts to expand AI education in primary and secondary schools. It aims to make AI education coursework “basically universal” at the K-12 level in China by 2030. The notice takes a tiered approach, with the goal to have the youngest students simply experience AI in class, while high-school students will, ideally, complete creative projects using advanced AI tools.
An archived version of the Chinese source text is available online at: https://perma.cc/4AWW-E9NC
Notice of the Office of the Ministry of Education on Strengthening Artificial Intelligence Education in Primary and Secondary Schools
To Education Departments (or Education Commissions) of Provinces, Autonomous Regions, and Municipalities directly under the Central Government, the Education Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps; all higher education institutions directly under the Ministry of Education, and all higher education institutions established jointly by the Ministry of Education and the Provinces:
In order to thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th Party Congress and the Second and Third Plenums of the 20th CCP Central Committee, earnestly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech at the Nationwide Education Conference, build a talent reserve to promote the development of new quality productive forces (新质生产力), explore pathways for implementing artificial intelligence (AI) education in primary and secondary schools, and cultivate a cohort of young people with innovative potential, and in light of current realities, notification is hereby given regarding the following matters.
I. Overall Requirements
(1) Persist in cultivating moral people (立德树人) and maintaining the correct direction. We must fully implement the Party’s directives on education, carry out the fundamental task of cultivating moral people, closely align with the educational mission in the new era and on the new journey, meet the requirement to cultivate innovative talent oriented toward the future, and ensure that we pass the torch of advancing the Party’s cause and building China into a socialist modernized world power1 to the next generation.
(2) Persist in taking a people-centered approach and promoting all-round development. We must follow the laws governing education and talent development, use AI to lead the building of a people-centered innovative education ecosystem, serve the goal of promoting students’ all-round development, guide students in properly handling the relationship of human beings with technology and society, promote the development of thinking, cultivate an innovative spirit, and improve the ability to solve practical problems.
(3) Persist in stimulating interest and encouraging exploration. We must stimulate students’ enthusiasm for learning AI technologies, guide students to broadly participate in exploratory practice, emphasize the integration of study and application, cultivate students’ interest in science and scientific spirit, enhance digital literacy and digital skills, and foster a cohort of young people with potential for AI innovation.
(4) Persist in doing overall planning and advancing steadily. Taking into account the actual conditions of education and teaching in primary and secondary schools nationwide and the current state of AI development, we must strengthen top-level design and interdepartmental coordination; do overall planning for the efforts of universities, teaching and research institutions, high-tech enterprises, and primary and secondary schools; do overall planning for the integrated development of AI education across primary schools, secondary schools, and universities; do overall planning for all aspects including curricula, teaching materials, equipment, instruction, and evaluation; advance actively and prudently; encourage qualified localities and schools to take the lead in piloting initiatives; increase support for educationally underdeveloped regions; and, by 2030, basically universalize AI education in primary and secondary schools.
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