Experts seek AI adoption in education to boost learning

Experts in educational technology have canvassed the need for policymakers and teachers to adopt artificial intelligence in the Nigerian education system to enhance the learning experience for students and teachers.

This was their position at the just concluded May edition of Edtech Mondays, an initiative of the Co-Creation Hub (CCHUB) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation’s Centre for Innovative Teaching & Learning in ICT themed ‘Artificial Intelligence in Education.’ The event was moderated by Chinyelu Akpa, practice lead, Education, CcHUB.

Abdullahi Bature, one of the panelists and co-founder, Schoola Limited, said the integration of AI in education has become pivotal to the effectiveness of learning and teaching in today’s educational system.

Bature explained that with the deployment of AI-enabled tools, the challenges associated with obsolete curricula, and a shortage of quality teachers in Nigeria’s educational system will become a thing of the past. Describing the use of artificial intelligence as Einstein in everyone’s garage, he said “For us, we see Al as our work colleague, that is, that colleague that is hardworking, and can help you do the chores.”

Freda Anyanwu, another panellist and country director, Global AI Council Nigeria, who spoke on the role of the organisation in ensuring AI technologies in education, stressed the need to implement AI ethically and responsibly.

Anyanwu noted that the application of AI in education would go a long way to making teaching and learning more effective, adding that teachers would have the opportunity to structure teaching methods that are not only custom-made for students but also cater to different pinpoints. She noted that her organisation was planning to collaborate with the government by developing a national artificial intelligence strategy that would help create guidelines and frameworks necessary to make sure that AI is ethically used in Nigeria, especially in the education sector.

Omotayo Olorunfemi, the community operations manager, Data Science Nigeria, who spoke on the significance of AI in education, explained that the introduction of AI in education would no doubt enhance personalized learning but also leverage data-driven insight.

Olorunfemi noted that the incorporation of AI in Nigeria’s education system would have a huge impact on learning with students having improved learning experience. He noted that his organisation was playing its part in upskilling young Nigerians or local talents through several initiatives and partnerships to prepare them for an AI-enabled world.

“Personalisation of learning is where learners can have access to AI-enabled systems, AI-enabled platforms, AI-enabled solutions that they can leverage to generate learning content in the form of text, in the form of videos, in the form of audios, even in the form of flashcards,” Olorunfemi said.