Robots and drones top a list issued on July 7 by Shanghai authorities in a bid to encourage STEM training for students receiving compulsory education.
The list includes the first batch of seven extra-curricular activities that authorities hope can inspire passion among students for emerging technologies.
Another five subjects on the list include computer programming, model making, radio transmission, entrepreneurship and block play, according to Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, which drafted and released the list.
Shanghai has taken the lead nationwide to explore a range of after-school activities to replace a rigorous curriculum fixated on major subjects like Chinese, math and English.
Since China launched a clampdown known as “Dual Reduction” in 2021 on the for-profit private tutoring sector, a number of new courses and subjects are cropping up to fill the void left behind by cram sessions.
Over recent years, subjects like programming and robotics have gained increasing popularity in China as parents search for more up-to-date ways to give their children a head start in the urban rat race.
To reflect the changing reality, education authorities across the country have been releasing documents to encourage several optional, mostly STEM-related subjects.
Shanghai’s move comes as the city’s students just started a two-month summer holiday and parents are expected to enroll them in a variety of after-school tutorials.
Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality said it released the aforementioned list after it conducted a market survey and sought public input.
