‘Teach our children well’: Jack Ma urges changes to China’s rural education in AI era

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by Vincent ChowJanuary 28, 2026 at 12:00 PM

AI Summary

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Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, addressed rural teachers in China on Monday, urging a shift in educational focus to adapt to the artificial intelligence era. Ma emphasized that rural education should move away from rote learning and instead prioritize fostering curiosity and creativity in students. He argued that education should focus on teaching children how to effectively utilize AI, rather than competing with it in areas like calculation and memory. Ma's remarks, published by the Jack Ma Foundation, were made during his annual meeting with new recruits to the Rural Teachers Initiative, which provides support and training to promising rural educators. The comments were prompted by teachers' concerns that rural education risks being left behind in the age of AI.

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South China Morning Post 40% Jack Ma Foundation ×260% Alibaba Group Holding 70% China 80% Jack Ma ×490%

Keywords

rural education 100% artificial intelligence 90% jack ma 80% education reform 70% rote-based learning 60% curiosity 60% ai era 50% rural teachers 50% creativity 50% jack ma foundation 40%

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Very Positive

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South China Morning Post

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Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

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90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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rural education artificial intelligence jack ma education reform rote-based learning curiosity ai era rural teachers creativity jack ma foundation

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