Guangzhou City, China to Offer 3D Printing Classes to Over 300,000 Students Starting Next Year

There is little doubt that 3D printing will play an enormous role in the future of education. The only question is when will we begin seeing the early stages of major adoption within the education space. Here in the US we have a long way to go before every child has access to a 3D printer, but China may be a step or two ahead of us. The most populated nation on the planet realizes the importance of introducing our youngest generations to this incredible technology and has thus made it a point to speed up the introduction of 3D printers to their students.

Back in April we helped break the news that the Chinese government was aiming to put 3D printers in every elementary school across the nation. That’s a lot of 3D printers, in fact, over 400,000 machines in total, making the technology available to tens of millions of young people across the country. That’s not all though. Earlier this month in Guangzhou City, one of China’s more technologically advanced areas, and home to over 8 million individuals, there was a very important meeting between educators at Guangzhou University.

Here, over 110 teachers from both primary and secondary schools met to discuss the future that technology would play within the Chinese education space, and also did a little learning themselves. The university, in collaboration with Zhuhai West Electronics Co., Ltd, the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Education and the Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, hosted 10 hours of 3D printing classes aimed at educators in an effort to teach the teachers about this incredible technology.

“Part of the poor performance of students in traditional education is mainly caused by the school’s boring, theoretical curriculum. 3D printing can bring boring courses to life, with both visual and tactile learning,” explained Huang Kai a teacher at Guangzhou University.

Zhuhai West Electronics provided 30 3D printers for this educational seminar, as the university, in conjunction with Zhuhai West, announced a plan to offer 3D printing courses to over 300,000 students within the 230 primary and secondary schools located in Guangzhou City starting next year.

“3D printing technology is the most advanced technology and is essential to teaching students about advanced manufacturing methods. The purpose of basic education is to develop a child’s future career potential, and one of the basic elements of such development will be their ability to adapt to the times,” explained Zhuhai West-chairman, Yang Yusheng.

By offering these students the ability to learn about these incredible technologies, Guangzhou City educators are providing them with the tools necessary to find a career in this rapidly advancing world. The way we educate our students needs to be re-examined as a hands-on approach to new technology may be the better route towards a more interesting and practical educational experience. Guangzhou City seems to understand this and it’s just a matter of time before the rest of the world catches on.

Here in the United States we need to take a similar approach to education, especially when it comes to getting tomorrow’s technology into the hands of students today. Let’s hear your thoughts on Guangzhou City’s plans for the coming year, and how other major cities across the globe can follow in their footsteps. Discuss in the Guangzhou City 3D Printing Initiative forum thread on 3DPB.com.