https://english.news.cn/20251116/18d3d9917df94cf0b2a502a0006d8003/c.html

In the framework of the next 5 years planning period “155”, Chinese authorities released guidelines to strengthen science and technology education in primary and middle schools, aiming to lay a solid foundation for fostering sci-tech talent and thereby enhancing the country’s self-reliance and strength in this field.

The guidelines set a goal of largely establishing a sci-tech education system in primary and secondary schools by 2030. They also put forward six tasks, calling for efforts to reform teaching methods, strengthen interdisciplinary integration, and build a strong teacher force. Notably, the guidelines propose to advance integrated design across primary, secondary and higher education to strengthen the transformation of cutting-edge sci-tech achievements into educational resources.

This approach is no longer confined to activities such as universities opening their laboratories to primary and secondary school students or university professors giving lectures in these schools. Instead, it represents a deeper level of collaborative education and advocate collaboration among universities, research institutes, and primary and secondary schools to establish regional sci-tech education centers jointly. Tech companies and charities are also encouraged to participate in developing school sci-tech projects and provide practical guidance and resource support.

Currently, science and technology-related courses are offered from Grade 1 to Grade 9 in Chinese schools. Regular senior highs set mandatory credits for physics, chemistry, biology and technology, and have independently established courses in information technology and general technology. In the capital, Beijing, for example, each primary and secondary school in the Haidian District has a vice principal in charge of sci-tech education, who establishes connections with a university, a laboratory, and a tech enterprise. In recent years, schools in China’s rural areas have also placed a growing emphasis on sci-tech education.

Nevertheless, experts admit that sci-tech education in primary schools still faces challenges, including a lack of teaching staff and limited space for practice. Data show that in 2022, there were 240,000 full-time science teachers in primary schools across China, averaging 1.61 per school, indicating a severe shortage. Most of these teachers hold bachelor’s degrees, and less than three percent hold master’s degrees or higher. The guidelines proposed training more teachers in sci-tech education, such as launching master’s programs at more elite universities. Currently, only a few dozen universities in China enroll master’s students in science and technology education. Universities and research institutes are also encouraged to send experts to serve as part-time teachers in primary and secondary schools.