Education departments in some parts of China are including Python, a widely used programming language, into student textbooks on information technology, ThePaper.cn reported.

As part of their drive to reform teaching materials, Shandong and Zhejiang provinces in East China have added Python into newly published textbooks for primary and high school students, respectively.

On Oct.11, China’s Ministry of Education announced plans of including Python design into Level 2 of the National Computer Rank Examination, a national exam to test computer proficiency and programming skill of non-computer specialized students and practitioners.

Python was listed as the most welcomed AI programming language in 2017, because it is easy to learn and apply, according to a ranking platform in the United States.

Python is a subject for US students, even for those in early childhood education. The programming language is set to become the most welcomed of its kind by 2018, according to Stack Overflow, an online community for developers.

Wu Eanda, Baidu’s former chief scientist, said everyone should learn computer programming, because it is becoming increasingly important for human beings to communicate with AI, which is developing very fast.