Gofrixty [15 August 2025] – In September 2025, Beijing will make artificial intelligence (AI) a Compulsory Course for all elementary and secondary schools in the city. It is a result of the city’s education reform plan and applies to children as young as six.
The Beijing Municipal Education Commission is mandating those schools to provide a minimum of eight hours of AI lessons annually. Schools can offer these as standalone classes or integrate them with Science and Technology to ensure every student gains AI skills. A “kid AI Kit” will make it easier for kids to more deeply understand AI concepts as young as possible, practice and stretch his problem-solving muscle and cultivating the habit of solving problems leveraging the technology, responsibly.
Four main aspects of AI awareness and cognitive skills, practical applications, innovation, and ethics will be available in the official curriculum. Elementary students will engage in hands-on activities, like using AI-based learning tools to work with other schools. For older students, the focus will be on creative projects and problem solving exercises that develop their technical skills. Under the plan, schools are to also adjust their reviews of student performance to include AI-related skills.
