Replace teachers with AI

Dear Editor:

Arguably, students are the ones most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The transition to online learning, which took place in March, has not been smooth and students should be eligible for partial refunds.

Other fees, such as parking passes, recreation fees and student union fees, have not been addressed.

It is clear that a post-secondary education offers benefits such as a higher socioeconomic status, social mobility for low-income students, expanded career options, and less chance of developing depression and/or mental illnesses.

A 2014 analysis by the B.C. government found that post-secondary graduates earn between $500,000 and almost $2 million more in wages over their lifetime than workers with only a high-school diploma. Yet the cost of not having a college degree exponentially increases the chance of alcohol abuse, drug overdose, obesity and suicide.

College tuition has more than doubled over the past 30 years. The quality of education has also been decreasing. The percentage of tenured professors has dropped and the number of part-time professors has increased as much as 70%, according to the American Association of University Professors in 2015.

As a student, I would like to make a proposal to keep post-secondary costs low. I suggest we replace every teacher with artificial intelligence units. For some of the teachers I’ve had, I wouldn’t even be able to tell the difference.