Beijing schools plan to teach AI courses to primary and secondary students

Beijing schools plan to teach AI courses to primary and secondary students

Beijing schools plan to teach AI courses to primary and secondary students ByHT News Desk Mar 09, 2025 03:03 PM IST Share Via Copy Link The AI courses will either be taught separately or be integrated with existing curriculum.

Schools located in China's Beijing will teach artificial intelligence (AI) courses to primary and secondary school students from next academic year onwards.

Chinese schools will offers at least 8 hours of AI classes from September 1 onwards.(AFP)

The Beijing Municipal Education Commission said in a statement on its website that the courses will be taught from the coming fall semester, which starts from September 1.

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It said that students will be taught at least eight hours of AI courses in each academic year. Schools are free to either integrate the courses into the existing curriculum or teach them separately to students.

The move is aimed at strengthening the country's goal in becoming a leader in the AI sector. China has held ambitions for a long time to become an AI innovator.

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A major step in this direction was the introduction of DeepSeek R1, which shook the global AI industry with its low-cost approach.

The educational plan follows a pledge by the government at the National People’s Congress to support the extensive application of large-scale AI models and the development of new-generation intelligent terminals and manufacturing equipment.

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A tech revolution led by AI provides major opportunities for education, China’s Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng said Wednesday on the sidelines of the annual session of the national legislature. The country will release a white paper on AI education in 2025, he said.