File photo taken on May 25, 2016 shows the quantum simulation laboratory under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Shanghai, east China. (Photo:Xinhua)

Tsinghua University officially launched its quantum information class on Monday, reportedly the first undergraduate training program in the field at the school.

Enrollment will start later this year with an initial group of 20 students, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday, noting that Yao Qizhi, a world-leading computer scientist who was also a winner of the Turing Award, will be the chief professor overseeing the program.

As quantum information technology has entered a new era, it is necessary to plan ahead as to whether it is for national strategic needs or for the development of scientific research and industry development, Yao was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

Yao also said that quantum information is an emerging frontier topic that has a broader base of knowledge requirements than a single subject area, so it requires a systematic and specialized training mode and a curriculum differing from other subjects.

The quantum information class is Yao's third program after a computer science experimental class and an artificial intelligence class, Xinhua reported. Yao founded the Yao Class at Tsinghua in 2005 to nurture promising undergraduate students to become experts on the same level as students from MIT and other prestigious universities. The Yao Class has created a model for cultivating innovative people by their aptitude and an extensive international teaching program.

It is always good to support education in the high-tech field, Yuan Lanfeng, a research fellow at the Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale of the USTC told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

It is important for education policy-makers to be aware of the need for more suitable standards for mathematics, physics and chemistry education in middle schools and high schools, which would establish a stronger foundation and attract more interest by students to build their skills and knowledge in science after entering universities. 

Chinese scientists successfully demonstrated photonic implementation of quantum information masking in the lab on May 6, marking a first in the country that will help pave the way for the research and application of encrypted quantum communication. 

Global Times