Wu Guangqiang
jw368@163.com
A new chapter will be added to the majestic symphony China is performing: innovation. According to the Shenzhen Daily, the First China (Shenzhen) Innovation & Entrepreneurship International Competition was held in eight areas across the world: Silicon Valley, Sydney, Toronto, Munich, Tel Aviv, London, Tokyo and Bangalore, between March 16 and 30.
The 80 winners, 10 from each regional contest, will be eligible for the final contest, to be held in Shenzhen on Friday, the eve of the Conference on International Exchange of Professionals (CIEP).
The competition is open to any high-caliber overseas talent and project regardless of nationality and a total of 9.12 million yuan (US$1.34 million) will be offered to the final winners. The top winner will be awarded up to 1.25 million yuan at an awards ceremony during the CIEP between Saturday and Sunday.
Great job! Shenzhen is increasingly worthy of its name of a center of innovation. Yet, much more can be done. Shenzhen should take the initiative to promote innovation in adolescents and youth, nurturing their innovative and entrepreneurial awareness. This will help turn China into an innovative power in the future.
It’s been long since the Chinese top leadership began to encourage adolescents to innovate. In accordance with the last wish of Deng Xiaoping, China Award Fund for Innovation of Adolescents was set up in 2004, the 100th anniversary of Deng’s birth. Deng’s family donated 1 million yuan, all from Deng’s remuneration for his publications, to the fund, thus fulfilling his desire to encourage youth innovation.
As a nonprofit fund, it gives awards to about 100 young innovators from universities, primary and secondary schools annually.
Efforts to encourage adolescent innovation can be traced back even earlier though. Since 1980, China Adolescents Science & Technology Innovation Contest (CASTIC) has been held, initially biennially, and annually now.
Every year, over 10 million primary and secondary school students participate in the contest held in different parts of the country, and 400 finalists, including those from Hong Kong and Macao, compete with each other at the national final in 11 subjects.
Needless to say, greater emphasis has been placed on adolescent innovation in recent years with more concrete measures adopted to push forward with the implementation of the national strategy of building an innovative nation.
Unfortunately, adolescent innovation remains a slogan rather than an action on the national level. The above-mentioned CASTIC is unheard of for most students, not to mention participating in it.
As an education expert pointed out, China is still lagging behind most advanced countries in adolescent innovation, which can be attributed to a variety of factors. Among others, the educational system remains highly examination-oriented, which greatly discourages innovation and inhibits the fostering of innovative awareness.
Innovation-related courses have not been incorporated into primary and secondary school curricula. Students still devote all their time to rote learning, with little time left for inspirational activities.
Worst of all, while mouthing innovation, most adults, including parents and teachers, are doing the contrary in real life. They nip the very bud of innovation off the young mind by forcing children to do exactly whatever adults think is right and scolding them for any attempt to explore their own world.
Everyone is born creative and it is adults’ duty to protect and cultivate children’s delicate buds of innovation and creation. Of course, it is also adults’ fault if a young dream is suffocated in the bud.
It’s high time that China formulated a national guideline and action plan to promote adolescent innovation. The following steps should be taken.
Innovation-related courses should be included in curricula, and students’ innovative awareness and achievements should be evaluated the same way as academic aptitude.
High-level national innovation contests sponsored by the State, enterprises and scientific research institutes should be held and televised nationwide.
Talented teenagers and youth should be invited to join in research and study programs at various labs or institutes, allowing them to gain experience.
The current inundation of low-brow TV “reality shows” featuring celebrities’ private lives should give way to programs aimed at stimulating inspiration and originality.
All great inventions originate from wild imagination.
(The author is an English tutor and freelance writer.)