In May 2025, China’s Ministry of Education released two binding guidelines: Guidelines for AI General Education in Primary and Secondary Schools (2025) and Guidelines for the Use of Generative AI in Primary and Secondary Schools (2025). The guidelines establish a mandatory tiered curriculum spanning primary, junior high, and senior high schools, with schools required to provide a minimum of eight class hours of AI education across all grade levels. The curriculum progresses from AI literacy in primary schools (covering basic technologies like voice recognition) to machine learning and critical thinking in junior high, to applied innovation in senior high. The guidelines require schools to integrate AI competencies into teacher training frameworks and recruit professionals from universities and high-tech companies as part-time instructors. China aims to introduce AI education in all primary and secondary schools by 2030 and make AI integral to textbooks, exams and classrooms by 2035. The ministry has funded AI education bases and previously provided AI literacy training to over 2.97 million teachers through two pilot rounds (2018-2024).
Who it affects: All students in China’s primary and secondary schools; teachers nationwide; school principals and education officials; universities and research institutions supplying training materials and instructors.
What is notably missing: While the guidelines are binding in scope, they do not specify a clear budget allocation per school, do not detail the minimum qualifications required for AI teachers, and do not establish a national assessment standard for measuring student AI competency. The guidelines emphasize “empowered teacher training” but do not mandate that all current teachers receive AI literacy training before classrooms begin deploying AI tools. Regional disparities in implementation capacity are not addressed, and there is no explicit enforcement mechanism for non-compliance beyond general education inspection frameworks.