AI to be Included in Teacher Qualification Exams and Certifications

On April 11, 2026, the Ministry of Education and four other departments jointly released the “AI + Education Action Plan”. This initiative aims to promote the cultivation of AI talent and innovation in application, systematically constructing an educational framework for the intelligent era.

The Action Plan outlines four key tasks: promoting AI talent cultivation and literacy enhancement, fostering deep integration of AI and education, strengthening the foundational environment for “AI + Education”, and optimizing the development ecosystem for “AI + Education”.

Primary Education Stage

Accelerating AI Education for Primary and Secondary Students

Continuously improve the “General Education Guidelines for AI in Primary and Secondary Schools” and ensure comprehensive implementation of AI-related courses.
Promote the inclusion of AI education in local curricula and guide regions in developing AI course guidelines, clarifying objectives, content, and class hour requirements for different educational stages.
Encourage interdisciplinary teaching of AI and integrate AI education into after-school services and research practices.
Combine technological education with humanities education, focusing on nurturing students’ intelligence and moral development, guiding them to understand and utilize intelligent technology rationally, enhancing their AI literacy, stimulating curiosity, fostering innovative thinking, and improving their cognitive and problem-solving abilities.
Strengthen AI education bases in primary and secondary schools, supporting rural and remote schools in utilizing national platforms to deliver AI courses.

Higher Education Stage

Cultivating High-Level Talent for the Intelligent Era

Promote AI as a public foundational course in universities, categorizing course materials by discipline and ensuring all students acquire AI knowledge.
Develop cutting-edge innovation courses tailored to the characteristics of AI technology, focusing on short, practical, and new content.
Optimize traditional talent cultivation plans for disciplines, guiding universities to offer interdisciplinary AI courses, enriching cross-disciplinary and cross-professional course groups, and cultivating composite talents.
Adjust academic program settings based on the intelligent upgrade of industrial structures, establishing new disciplines and majors that align with new technologies, industries, and business models.
Integrate resources from high-level research universities, leading technology enterprises, and national laboratories to deepen interdisciplinary collaboration, industry-education integration, and explore new models for cultivating top AI innovation talents.

Vocational Education Stage

Promoting the Upgrade and Transformation of Traditional Vocational Education

Timely assess the structural impact of AI on vocational education, optimizing skill talent cultivation requirements, and promoting the intelligent upgrade of traditional majors.
Design a scientific “AI +” professional system, curriculum system, and teaching system to enhance the adaptability of professional settings to industrial development.
Align with national AI industry development needs, focusing on cultivating high-skilled talents for emerging and future industries, implementing plans for high-skilled talent cultivation in AI fields, collaborating with industry enterprises to develop talent training programs, updating curriculum systems, and jointly building internship and training bases.

Lifelong Education Stage

Promoting AI General Education Across Society

Continuously enrich digital resources on national platforms, gathering and developing AI general education resources, and encouraging universities and enterprises to create specialized resources for AI education, accessible to a wide range of learners.
Incorporate AI into the “Double Thousand” plan for enhancing employment capabilities of university students, encouraging the establishment of relevant micro-specialty courses and micro-credential programs to support high-level employment.
Leverage the roles of universities and open university systems to customize AI literacy and skills courses for key groups, providing personalized post-employment training services and integrating learning outcomes into credit banks.
Optimize and adjust the professional layout and talent training plans for continuing education, supporting self-study examinations to offer AI-related majors.

Enhancing Teachers’ AI Literacy and Skills

Establish standards for teachers’ AI literacy, clarifying the AI competencies required for educators.
Conduct tiered and categorized AI literacy training based on different job requirements, achieving comprehensive coverage through various methods.
Build a situational assessment system, developing intelligent and graded assessment tools, and encourage schools to conduct large-scale assessments of teacher literacy, using results to enhance teachers’ skills and abilities.
Promote reforms in teacher training programs, integrating knowledge of AI and other cutting-edge technologies into the curriculum, updating the knowledge system.
Include AI in teacher qualification exams and certification content, establishing AI education projects in national and provincial teaching achievement awards to stimulate the intrinsic motivation for AI innovation.