China is gearing up for a science revolution! 🚀 On Monday, Chinese lawmakers submitted a draft revision to the Science and Technology Popularization Law to the National People's Congress Standing Committee for its first reading. This marks the first major update since the law's introduction in 2002, aiming to make science and tech knowledge more accessible to everyone. 🌐
Since the original law came into play, there's been a remarkable boost in scientific literacy among the Chinese public. According to the 13th China Citizens' Scientific Literacy Survey, the percentage of citizens with strong scientific understanding skyrocketed from a mere 1.98% in 2003 to an impressive 14.14% in 2023! 📈 Talk about progress!
China's innovation game is also on point, climbing from 34th place in 2012 to 11th in the World Intellectual Property Organization's 2024 Global Innovation Index. 🌟 But despite these awesome strides, challenges still linger. The Minister of Science and Technology, Yin Hejun, pointed out issues like low awareness of the importance of science, a shortage of high-quality science content, and underdeveloped infrastructure and personnel. 😕
That's where the new draft comes in! 📜 It's beefing up the law from 34 articles in six chapters to a whopping 60 articles in eight chapters. The focus? Tackling those pesky challenges head-on. The draft outlines schools' responsibilities, boosts support for science personnel, and zeroes in on giving the public better access to science education. It even introduces two new chapters dedicated to science popularization activities and personnel. 🎓
This move shows China's commitment to empowering its people with knowledge and fostering a culture of innovation. Who knows, maybe this will spark the next big scientific breakthrough! 🔬✨
Reference(s):
China proposes law revision on science and technology popularization
cgtn.com
