Robots recruited to help kindergarten teachers nationwide

XIAMEN — “Good morning everyone! I am Keeko. Nice to meet you!” In the classroom, a robot introduces itself before asking a question: “Why are there four differently colored garbage bins in our kindergarten?”

Keeko, a humanoid robot standing 45 centimeters tall and weighing 4.5 kilograms, is the newest recruit at Xingguo Kindergarten in Xiamen, Fujian province.

With help of the robot’s artificial intelligence, teacher Yang Huizhen is telling children about the importance of garbage sorting. Before the class started, she worked for several days collecting information and uploading it to Keeko’s “brain”.

“I once thought AI robots would steal the jobs of teachers, but my worry turned out to be unnecessary,” Yang said. “They will be good teaching assistants. Children are curious about them.”

Keeko, which is programed to interact with children younger than 7, can interact through conversation, games, songs, dancing, reading stories and even mathematics.

In China, robots are not just being used in factories or logistics companies. Now they are being recruited by kindergartens to help out in the classroom. Robots like Keeko have been used in four classes at Xingguo Kindergarten.

At the He & She Angel Kindergarten in Chongqing municipality, a robot frequently reminds children about developing good habits.

“We should wash our hands before we eat,” it says, and, “In scorching heat, don’t forget to drink more water.”

“With its cute voice and appearance, the robot is easily accepted by children,” teacher Peng Liangjiao said. “Our workload has been reduced a lot.”

To better serve kindergarten teachers and children, robot developers are trying to improve their products.

“Our engineers are cooperating with kindergarten teachers, who know what the children really need and how to teach,” said Guo Changchen, CEO of Keeko Robot (Xiamen) Technology Co, the creator of Keeko.

“Teachers can prepare the lessons and upload the content

to the robots. As more data is accumulated, the robots will become smarter and more helpful,” he said.

So far, robots developed by the company have been used in 672 kindergartens across the country, he said.

Zheng Qinhua, an associate professor of education at Beijing Normal University, is happy to see the trend of robots entering classrooms.

“Using technology such as image recognition and language interaction, AI robots can precisely record and analyze children’s behavior while interacting with them,” Zheng said.

Zheng believes that AI robots are at least part of the solution to the shortage of qualified teachers.

A study conducted by Southwest University’s Center for Education Policy showed that the shortfall of kindergarten teachers and child-care workers in China will likely surpass 3 million by 2021 as the number of children climbs following the adoption of the universal two-child policy in 2016.

“However, while AI technology is a tool for teachers, it cannot replace them,” Zheng said. “Teaching requires love, patience and kindness. At least for now, robots cannot give children these things. But I believe in the future, AI robots, like teachers, will be companions and help children grow.”

While AI technology is a tool for teachers, it cannot replace them. Teaching requires love, patience and kindness.”

Zheng Qinhua,