AI a ray of hope for education reform
A more educated and prosperous South Africa can be achieved if innovative solutions facilitated by artificial intelligence are adopted
The South African education system has made significant strides in providing inclusive education post-apartheid. Despite these notable achievements, the education sector continues to grapple with many problems such as unequal quality education, a shortage of qualified teachers and overcrowded classrooms.
The transformative potential of artificial intelligence’s (AI) innovative solutions offer new ways to teach and learn in the South African educational framework. AI can assist in providing access to inclusive, quality education.
Many learners are left behind by the education system.
The first alarming issue is the teacher shortage crisis, which casts a long shadow over the education landscape and is preventing quality learning experiences for schoolchildren.
Almost 50% of current teachers are retiring in the next decade, and universities are not producing enough teachers to meet the demand.
This teacher shortage crisis leads to overcrowded classrooms, with the national average student-to-teacher ratio being 30:1. In some rural classrooms, there are up to 50 students per teacher. Yet studies recommend the ideal student-to-teacher ratio to range from 10 to 18 students per teacher.
Another alarming problem within the education system is that South Africa has one of the most unequal school systems globally, with betterresourced schools receiving better education than non-resourced schools.
In 2020, Amnesty International Southern Africa found that “the top 200 schools achieve more distinctions in mathematics than the next 6 600 schools combined”.
South Africa urgently needs to find a way to provide quality education to all students despite their backgrounds.
Last, the South African pupil dropout rates are concerning. Almost three out of 10 pupils aged 18 years dropped out of school in 2021. A large portion of these students said poor academic performance was one of their main reasons for not completing their schooling.
We need to foster an education system that encourages learners to be motivated and thrive throughout their academic journey.
If we do not rectify the shortcomings in the education system, we risk ensnaring young people in a cycle of missed opportunities. It can lead to unemployment, restricted income prospects and, for some, even incarceration.
I recently had the privilege of delivering a TEDX talk — Using AI to Bridge Learning Gaps in South Africa — where I explored the vast potential of AI to revolutionise education in South Africa. AI provides the education sector with ample opportunities to resolve the problems it has been plagued with for decades.
With 43.48 million internet users in South Africa, a number that grows daily, and the proliferation of mobile devices, the potential for integrating AI into education is vast.
The pervasiveness of mobile devices allows AI to be more accessible to the larger population through, for example, educational chatbots providing an encouraging path for enriching educational experiences.
AI provides us with tutors that facilitate digital learning, providing learners with personalised support through exercises and assessments in the syllabus that are customised to each student’s particular weaknesses.
It can also overcome certain language barriers because AI can instantly provide translations to course material in multilingual classrooms.
In Tanzania, edtech companies such as Silabu have created an AI tutor system called SATU that supplements and reinforces syllabus content to their learners. Other edtech companies in the country acknowledge that many students in Africa lack an internet connection or textbooks and therefore the company makes use of AI and SMS technology to provide learning content to learners. This AI analyses students’ learning and tailors education to their needs.
AI tutor systems can assist in solving the teacher shortage crisis. An example of this is the AI Liulishuo in China, which teaches personalised
English courses to 600 000 students at the cost of a single teacher.
In this way, AI can assist in providing innovative solutions to local problems.
Furthermore, AI can assist in helping teachers provide quality education. AI can carry out administrative tasks, mark scripts and develop teaching plans, freeing up time for teachers to focus on fostering critical and problem-solving skills at a more personal level. It also frees up time for teachers to have a more counselling and mentoring role to ensure learners are well-rounded.
The South African education system’s problems of unequal access to quality education, a shortage of teachers and a high dropout rate can be resolved by innovative solutions provided by artificial intelligence, such as providing personalised learning experiences and bolstering teachers’ instructional capabilities.
It is imperative that we strategically incorporate AI into the educational sector now, ensuring we leave no learners behind.
By employing innovative solutions facilitated by AI, we lay the foundation for a more educated populace and prosperous society in South Africa.
AI provides us with tutors that facilitate digital learning, providing learners with personalised support