The opening ceremony of Northwest Normal University's AI and digital education training program is held on Sept 13, 2026. [Photo by Wu Yuexuan/for chinadaily.com.cn]

A training program on artificial intelligence and digital education for education officials and university representatives from Central Asia opened on Sunday at Northwest Normal University in Lanzhou, Gansu province, bringing together 27 participants from Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

The nine-day program focuses on topics including AI and global educational transformation, China's digital education strategy, and the application of AI in higher and basic education. It also aims to promote exchanges between education institutions and the digital education industry in China and Central Asia.

Jia Peng, deputy director of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges at China's Education Ministry, said in a video address that AI and digital technologies are reshaping education worldwide, making digital transformation a common challenge for countries. He encouraged participants to explore how AI can support education reform, digital education systems, and education governance, as well as identify approaches suited to their own countries.

Jia Ning, Party secretary of Northwest Normal University, said the university would share its experience in China's digital transformation of education while learning from the experience of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in education governance, teacher development, and talent cultivation.

Erkinbek Eshpulatov, a lead expert at Uzbekistan's Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, said his country is working to enhance young people's skills in using AI, with such efforts particularly focused on the education sector. "We are using AI to analyze teachers' performance and students' grades, while also introducing new disciplines," Eshpulatov said. "We look forward to learning from China's advanced experience in this sector and introducing these practices in Uzbekistan."

Nargiza Sulaymanova, vice-president of Issyk-Kul State University in Kyrgyzstan, said the program provides an opportunity to gain new knowledge, exchange professional experience, and build academic connections.

"We hope to further strengthen cooperation with Northwest Normal University and increase the number of exchange students next year," she said, adding that the two sides could also exchange experience in culture and cutting-edge technologies.

So far, Northwest Normal University has trained more than 600 students from Central Asia and hosted nine China-Central Asia cultural and educational exchange forums to promote exchanges with Belt and Road countries.

Wu Yuexuan contributed to the story.