China transforms education through introduction of AI courses

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly prevalent in primary and secondary school classrooms across China, providing a modern approach to education while fostering scientific thinking and innovative skills among students.

In 2024, China's Ministry of Education issued a major policy promoting AI education in primary and secondary school classrooms. The goal is to achieve full coverage of AI educational courses by 2030.

The requirements are very clear. Primary school students will focus on experiencing AI, while high school students will develop skills that can be applied to AI projects.

The importance of AI education comes as no surprise, and cultivating interest is the first step. From robots to programing courses on AI, experts say a future-oriented education revolution is now unfolding.

At a school in Chengdu, the capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, when Generation Z encounters an AI humanoid robot, the future of education is redefined. These primary and high school students are full of curiosity about AI and humanoid robots.

"We can now see the future very clearly. For example, 10 or 20 years from now, just like these primary and high school students, they will definitely face the world of artificial intelligence after they start working. The future determines they must learn artificial intelligence from now on," said Feng Zhenyu, CEO of Sichuan Embodied Intelligent Robot Technology.

How to use AI programming to build small robots has become a compulsory course in some primary schools.

"We are earnestly promoting the strategic action of digital education and carrying out a series of application scenarios such as moral education, teaching, sports, aesthetic and scientific education enabled by AI," said Tang Min, deputy director of the Chengdu Education Bureau.

Wang Zhiyong, Communist Party secretary at the Experimental Middle School of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, said he believes China is focused on promoting scientific education, introducing advanced concepts and educational methods from universities into basic education, and better cultivating innovative talents.

"We have opened an elective course called Mathematical Modeling and AI. The course is mainly taught by university teachers. The foundation of artificial intelligence is mathematics. We will introduce the basic projects of the university into the course. We encourage our students to participate in the national mathematical modeling contest for college students, the American mathematical modeling contest for college students, the informatics contest, the robotics contest and so on," Wang said.

Experts say strengthening mathematical knowledge in basic education and future industrial applications, while combining mathematics with AI, will help students face the challenges of the AI era.

China transforms education through introduction of AI courses

China transforms education through introduction of AI courses

Tens of thousands of Cambodians took part in a massive rally on Thursday in the country's capital, Phnom Penh, marching through the streets to call for peace as the recent round of fighting with neighboring Thailand dragged into its 12th day.

The participants, waving the Cambodian national flag and holding banners, walked for about 40 minutes to the city's Independence Monument Park, in the third "March for Peace" demonstration so far this year after two similar events held in August and June.

Organized by the Union of Youth Federations, the event called for an end to the ongoing border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand, which erupted on Dec 7 and has so far caused scores of deaths on both sides. It also aimed to highlight Cambodia's commitment to peace and its adherence to the ceasefire agreement signed with Thailand on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Malaysia in October.

Since the long-running border dispute erupted into violence again, more than 450,000 Cambodian civilians have been displaced, according to the country's interior ministry.

"Our people living along the border are feeling afraid and anxious, and everyone cannot work as they have to flee the areas they used to live in. I would like to ask the international community to look at it in order to find justice for Cambodia. Cambodia needs peace. Cambodia only need prosperity as we previously had. We don't want war. So, the one who is invading Cambodia, please stop from now on," said Nhap Tevy, a local of Phnom Penh who took part in Thursday's march.

"I take part in this event to support our country so that we don't have conflict anymore. We don't want the conflict. We want safety for our people, as the conflict causes some of our people to die. In our village, we have also gathered some donations to help our displaced people and soldiers," said Prak San, another participant from Cambodia's Kandal province.

The border tensions, which originate from a long-standing territorial dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, first turned violent in July this year.

A peace agreement signed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in late October aimed to stop the fighting. It included plans to remove heavy weapons and clear landmines.

However, the deal has mostly fallen apart, with both Cambodia and Thailand accusing each other of breaking the rules. Heavy fighting has continued in several border areas, despite international mediation efforts.

Thousands march for peace in Phnom Penh, calling for end to border conflict with Thailand