Training stresses the professional approach

A training course focused on intellectual property education in primary and secondary schools was held from Sept 24 to 27 at Central China Normal University in Wuhan, Hubei province.

The discussions about cooperation and development in IP education were attended by more than 130 teacher representatives from 73 IP pilot schools nationwide and officials of the National Intellectual Property Administration of China.

The classes were presented by experts in IP and basic education to better combine professional instruction in the two fields.

Teachers and officials shared their experiences and problems in IP education, and reached a consensus that its development satisfies the requirements of primary and secondary school students in a knowledge-and technology-driven society.

Since 2015, when the administration and the Ministry of Education launched a pilot demonstration project on IP education in primary and secondary schools, 165 establishments have been designated as pilot schools-through four batches in different years-and 25 have been assessed as IP demonstration schools.

In February, Beijing No 4 High School, one of China's most prestigious high schools, was listed in the fourth batch.

On April 29, at an event to publicize IP education at the school, Tan Xiaoqing, the school's vice-president, appealed to students to support copyright and make their own contribution to the national development of innovation, China Intellectual Property News reported.

Meanwhile, hundreds of IP-related textbooks were given away to students on the day.

"Don't look down on your own contribution. The accumulated efforts of every single student of your generation will boost the country's infinite creativity in a way that is as powerful as solar flares," Tan said, during a speech at the event.

Fan Rong, chief editor of China Intellectual Property Rights, the website of the National Intellectual Property Administration, introduced a digital exhibition that featured IP knowledge related to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, helping students to understand the IP issues in their daily lives.

Enlisted as a pilot school in the 2017 batch, Chongqing Bachuan Middle School has already provided students with practical opportunities.

"The length of a jump rope will affect the jumper's approach. I decided to improve the design and allow the length to be adjusted automatically, like a tape measure, so the rope would not become knotted," student Zhan Jie told a reporter from China Intellectual Property News.

"I invented a device on the rope that can adjust the length based on the user's height, thus enabling people of different heights to use the same rope," said Zhan, who has patented the idea.

Teachers at Bachuan Middle School offered students IP education by encouraging innovative thinking and enhancing their operational abilities. Meanwhile, the students were taught to respect other people's intellectual property while protecting their own.

To date, the school's students have registered 26 patents and won more than 500 awards.

Heihe Primary School in Heilongjiang province was one of 52 enlisted in the third batch of pilot schools. Primary schools account for less than one-sixth of those in the batch.

Fourth grade student Hu Tongxing designed a basic mascot for the first science and technology festival on campus.

The robot-like mascot, named Congcong, is likely to be equipped with automatic learning ability and will be able to make conversation in, and translate into, multiple languages.

"I hope the antenna on its head will be able to forecast the weather and receive signals from outer space, and that his ears will be capable of anticipating earthquakes and volcanoes. And what if the chip in his chest had a storage function and could help the robot move between different types of transportation according to its environment?" said Hu, according to China Intellectual Property News.