The media should do more to popularize science in order to attract children and teenagers, Shi said.

Science and technology programs account for just 6 percent of all TV programs in China, whereas the ratio is 20 percent in the United States and 15 percent in Japan, according to Wang. He suggests that television stations, newspapers and websites should produce more reports on science and technology involving young scientists.

"Students should be told stories about scientists so that they will regard them as idols, and science popularization courses should be offered to keep students interested in the sciences," Wang said.

Wang also called for better pay in order to make the profession more appealing.

Yan Chunhua, an academician with the CAS, believes it is important to dispel a common misunderstanding about science.

Currently, people tend to think that studying science entails going to university for master's and doctoral degrees, followed by post-doctoral research, Yan said. "This degree-oriented education has deviated from real science, and may discourage students from entering the profession," he noted.

According to Yan, studying science is to enjoy life with a scientific attitude and approach. "Science is not that complicated. In fact, science is life. If children do not care about the things around them, and do not love life, they will certainly not be interested in science," Yan said.

Yan said that to foster students' interest in science, there should be a relaxed and healthy growth environment for students.

A survey conducted by the Shanghai Academy of Educational Sciences (SAES) in 2010 found that Chinese teachers had a low tolerance for students' "creative" ideas. Only 15.5 percent of the 11,098 involved students said that their teachers encouraged them to express their own ideas.

Moreover, primary and middle school students in China have long been burdened with heavy schoolwork. "To some extent, heavy schoolwork has stifled students' creativity," said Liu Yaping, headmaster of Shiyan Primary School in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province.

The Hangzhou Institute for Educational Research in eastern Zhejiang Province published a study at the end of 2011, showing that primary students in Hangzhou typically studied nine hours per day, junior middle school students 11 hours, and high school students 12.5 hours.

A Hangzhou resident surnamed Wu has a daughter in the first grade. When Wu told his daughter to go to bed, the girl often said that she had not finished memorizing an article. The girl's teacher assigned students to recite one article every day.

Wu complained that such rote memorization practice is inefficient and merely increases the burden placed on students.

China's examination-oriented education has come increasingly under fire in recent years. Students, schools and teachers are often evaluated by students' performance on the National College Entrance Examination. Students spend years preparing for the exam, leaving little free time for anything else.

Liu said that many students score high on exams, yet their practical and communication skills are weak.

Researchers with SAES recommended reducing students' schoolwork and giving them more time to take part in creative endeavors.

"Currently, courses on practical skills are often overlooked," said Fu Lujian, an official with the SAES. "Practical ability is an important part of innovative ability.

Email us at: wanghairong@bjreview.com