AI at the crossroad: A new frontier for education in Africa today and beyond

THE emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), has made the education in Africa to enter a new era just as the African sun illuminates the vast landscapes. AI is becoming a crucial factor in transforming learning settings, improving accessibility, and creating educational solutions that could help attend to Africa’s distinct challenges and opportunities where previous attempts to achieve universal education have encountered limitations in resources and capabilities.

These technologies encompass a variety of tools, such as virtual tutors, customised learning systems and data analytics platforms that offer valuable information on student performance and educational requirements.

Many African countries face funding, teacher, and geographical challenges in their educational institutions.

AI is becoming a revolutionary tool tailored to the learning needs of each learner.

African pupils, including Zimbabweans, benefit most from mobile technology.

This makes technology accessible to vulnerable communities beyond well-funded urban private schools.

Adaptive learning systems, along with other advanced applications, play a crucial role as artificial intelligence tools in the field of education.

Adaptive learning systems utilise AI to assess a student’s progress in learning and tailor the information to meet their individual needs, facilitating individualised learning experiences.

The systems cater for varying learning speeds of learners and prioritise areas that require additional focus, hence enhancing outcomes.

An AI-powered scheme in rural Kenya allows students to use cell phones to access curriculum-aligned interactive instructional content.

The AI measures students’ competency and tailors teaching resources to ensure each learner receives suitable instruction. In South Africa, AI-powered virtual tutors are helping students with maths and science due to a teacher shortage.

The present situation

In Africa, the integration of AI into education is still in its infancy but has shown encouraging growth.

AI is still not something that many people can immediately relate to.

Oxford Insights released the 2023 edition of the Government AI Readiness Index on the readiness of 193 governments on AI worldwide.

This report notes that sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest when compared with other world governments.

Over the past year, three countries have published new national AI strategies, and one has announced a forthcoming strategy.

Rwanda became the first low-income country to release an AI policy, with Senegal and Benin following suit in 2023.

Focus on achievement

AI has huge potential in African education as it can solve continent-wide issues like teacher shortages and overcrowded classrooms.

Artificial intelligence algorithms can identify patterns, predict student performance, and improve teaching by analysing large amounts of educational data.

Since Zimbabwean schools and ZIMSEC are regional leaders in school examinations, this AI could benefit them the most.

The technology can automate administrative tasks, letting teachers focus on teaching rather than paperwork.

As a result, automation can drastically reduce administrative workload and improve organisational effectiveness.

Software powered by AI can also tailor learning to each student’s speed and manner, enhancing performance.

It also helps schools and institutions make educated decisions by providing data-driven insights.

Obstacles and factors to take into account

Although AI has made progress, integrating technology into teaching is tough.

Data privacy, the digital gap between socio-economic classes, and cultural insensitivity in AI algorithms that are not well-adapted to local surroundings have prompted concerns. Zimbabwe, with its rich cultural heritage, needs robust policy frameworks, community involvement, and technology-education co-operation.

Accessibility and justice are other concerns.

The educational gap may be exacerbated by the lack of ICT resources in rural and under-resourced areas compared to wellfunded private schools.

The final concern is privacy, as these systems handle sensitive student data.

Maintaining trust and honesty in educational systems requires upholding confidentiality and ethical data processing.

The growing use of AI technology could lower teachers’ and students’ educational involvement.

Zimbabwe boasts one of Africa’s top education systems, renowned worldwide.