An educational program, guided by the Ministry of Education and organized by Beijing Normal University, is recently held in Lancang Lahu autonomous county, Yunnan province. It aims to advance the digital transformation of education and promote balanced, high-quality schooling in remote ethnic areas. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A summer social practice program aimed at advancing digital education in ethnic areas was recently held in Lancang Lahu autonomous county, Yunnan province.

The program, titled "Digital Education Hub", was guided by the Ministry of Education's Department of Science, Technology and Informatization, and organized by Beijing Normal University.

More than 30 teachers and students from the university participated in the initiative, which focused on using digital technology to support educational development in Lancang, home to around 220,000 ethnic Lahu people.

Before the field practice, the team visited the site of the former National Southwest Associated University in Kunming to draw inspiration from the institution's wartime educational legacy.

During the three-day program at Lancang Ethnic Middle School, the team delivered interdisciplinary courses integrating arts, sciences, physical education and technology to more than 600 students across 14 classes. Thirty students participated in an AI creative workshop, while the entire school took part in film appreciation and aesthetic education activities.

An educational program, guided by the Ministry of Education and organized by Beijing Normal University, is recently held in Lancang Lahu autonomous county, Yunnan province. It aims to advance the digital transformation of education and promote balanced, high-quality schooling in remote ethnic areas. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The team also conducted AI-empowered training for 117 teachers from 23 primary and secondary schools across Lancang county. The training covered AI literacy assessment, application of the national smart education platform, WPS AI tools, AI-enabled classroom management and professional development planning.

Participants said that the AI tools introduced in that training were highly practical and could effectively reduce lesson preparation workload and enhance classroom appeal, and they expressed hope for continued support.

The program is part of a digital education project launched by Beijing Normal University in 2023 to provide support in rural areas. Lancang county is the program's third location nationwide and its first in Yunnan province. The program was previously provided to Ziyun Miao and Bouyi autonomous county in Guizhou province, and Zhidoi county in Qinghai province.

Future plans include developing digital teaching content tailored to local students' needs, implementing a tiered AI literacy training model for teachers, and providing ongoing support through online and offline channels to build a replicable model for digital education in rural areas.