China’s Ministry of Education has recently suspended 12,000 undergraduate programs, impacting 30% of the Nation’s University Offerings, introducing 10,200 new tech-focused degrees.
According to Sources, the reason for the overhaul was to combat the high rate of youth unemployment, and shift the educational focus towards artificial intelligence and high technology industries.
The overhaul aims to prioritize Artificial intelligence and technology, replacing those obsolete programs with courses in machine learning, robotics and advanced manufacturing.
The Restructuring was targeted at various fields perceived to be oversaturated and prone to AI automation.
The Ministry believes that routine tasks in designs, translation and data analysis can be completed efficiently and easily by the use of AI, thus reducing the market value of traditional degrees in these fields.
Also, with the crisis of youth unemployment rising to 16%, the overhaul serves to bridge the gap between academic education and real-world industry demands.
The push to redefine the curriculum isn’t limited to universities, primary and secondary schools are not left out as the ministry has mandated that all primary and secondary students must complete at least 8hoirs of AI education each year.