by Misbah Saba Malik, Jiang Chao
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan is in the process of introducing advanced artificial intelligence (AI)-based education in schools, with cooperation from China to play a vital role in this initiative, Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, secretary of Pakistan's Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, has said.
Pakistan is gearing up to send 1,000 faculty members to China for PhD education in AI, and upon return, they will serve in Pakistan and train students in AI, enabling the country to excel in AI technologies in the next decade, Wani told Xinhua in a recent interview.
He said that Chinese language learning has also been introduced in schools, and currently, the first batch was underway in which 1,000 students were learning Chinese language in different schools in the capital.
The students are very enthusiastic about learning the new language, which is also a pathway for them to pursue higher education in China, he said.
"Chinese language is not a language, but a skill, (and) it will not only help young students to have an extra tool for communication but also enhance their cognitive abilities and global opportunities," he added.
The official said that Chinese language will help Pakistani students to understand the culture of China, and bring them closer to their neighboring country.
"Currently, those who have visited China have first-hand knowledge of the country, and by learning the language, young students will be excited to explore even more about China, its values, culture and environment. This cultural understanding will bring Pakistan and China closer together, and these students will become future ambassadors of Pakistan-China relations," he added.
Talking about literacy rate in Pakistan, Wani said that about 60 percent of the population were literate in the country, and the government's target is to raise this rate to 99 percent, for which the National Education Emergency has been declared to address the challenges.
"Under the initiative, learning quality is being improved, and we are emphasizing skill education because skill leads to more employability, more economic development," he added.
He said that the government is embedding technology in primary and middle schools so that kids can have more offline and online access to globally acceptable quality learning material for better learning outcomes in the coming months and years.
"We have introduced a school meals program to ensure that children receive better nutrition, which in turn helps improve their learning outcomes. Additionally, we have implemented a sports education initiative and designed an AI-based computer curriculum for both primary and secondary schools," he said.
The measures being taken will have far-reaching effects, and after 10 years or so, Pakistani students of public schools will be able to compete with international students in the fields of information technology, science and math, he said.
