Ministry of Education unveils AI education plans In elementary and middle-school
Taiwan's Ministry of Education is set to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into elementary and middle-school curricula, aiming to position Taiwan as a leader in AI education within Asia over the next two years, according to Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng. The initiative is part of a broader effort led by Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao and his team to advance AI education across the nation.
The Ministry has established the Taiwan AI College Alliance to enhance AI education at the university level, while high schools are slated to begin offering AI courses. For younger students, in elementary and junior-high schools, a generative AI learning partner will be introduced, and AI competitions will be organized to foster early engagement with the technology.
The Ministry commissioned experts, including National Taiwan Normal University's associate professor Tsai Yun-cheng and National Taiwan University's assistant professor Chang Jie-fan, to develop a diverse range of elective AI courses for high-school students. These courses are designed to be accessible to students nationwide, including those in remote areas, and are supported by an online system that reviews program codes and enhances distance learning.
This semester, 23 high schools and vocational schools, including two from remote regions, have started offering these elective AI courses. Additionally, the Ministry has collaborated with National Cheng Kung University’s professor Su Wen-yu to launch an AI competition aimed at junior-high and elementary students, encouraging them to apply AI models to real-world challenges. The competition is expected to grow into an international online event. To further support AI education, an AI learning partner has been introduced on the ministry’s website, aimed at narrowing the learning gap between urban and rural students.
