PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC—Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, on Wednesday urged regional countries to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) in education, warning that failure to do so could leave the Caribbean behind in an era of technological development.
Delivering the feature address at the fourth Ministerial Summit of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), President Ali told delegates that the region finds itself at a “crucial juncture” as the challenges and opportunities before the Caribbean are “immense, especially as we grapple with the decline in mathematics …and the lasting impact of the learning loss occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic”.
He told the summit, which is being held here a day before the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Council of Human and Social Development (COHSOD) Ministers of Education meetings, that the pandemic provided the region with a crash course “in the potential and pitfalls of online learning.
“The pandemic forced us to adapt quickly. For many, this was an uncomfortable transition. We shifted from traditional classroom settings to online platforms, attempting to ensure that no child was left without the opportunity to learn during those challenging months…”.
Ali told the summit, which focuses on “Artificial Intelligence and Technological Innovations in Shaping Caribbean Education,” that many teachers struggled to adapt to digital modes of instruction, and students also faced new hurdles in adapting to new content delivery methods.
“In the end, it became evident that much more needs to be done to prepare our education system for a future where the digital platform will play a central role,” he said, noting that a World Bank study had found that during the first two years of the pandemic, the learning loss in Latin America and the Caribbean amounted to a 12 percent decline in the learning of a student today.
He said this disruption to education was also seen as students struggled to adjust when they returned to the physical classrooms, warning that they must now confront another emerging situation, namely the anxieties surrounding AI.
“These concerns are not limited to students but extend to educators apprehensive about AI’s role in classrooms and the broader education framework. Educators are understandably worried that AI can undermine traditional teaching methods or diminish classroom roles.
“Yet, we must recognize that AI, like every technological advancement before, presents both challenges and opportunities. Our task is to harness the potential of AI while addressing its risks.”
Ali said that the Ministerial Summit should not be seen only as an opportunity for dialogue but also as a call for action.
“We need to explore how AI and other technological innovations can help us address the issues we face, such as declining mathematical results, the pressure to reduce learning loss, and the need for deeper engagements with the CXC syllabuses.
“We must ensure that the Caribbean education system does not lag but instead embraces a future where technology is a tool of learning and not a hindrance. The unstoppable march of scientific progress is also undeniable.’
Ali said that the world has always been shaped by scientific progress, starting with the Industrial Revolution, and each revolution “brings profound changes to the way we live, work, and learn.
“Today, we find ourselves on the brink of the fourth industrial revolution where AI machine learning has advanced digital technology, promising to reshape every aspect of our lives. The pace of this transformation is accelerating…and we are witnessing a rapid convergence of new technologies.”
Ali said that this means that progress is not waiting on anyone “and certainly not on the Caribbean.
“We must adapt and prepare our education system to embrace this future. To do otherwise is to risk falling further behind as the world around us leaps forward,” the Guyanese leaders said.
The CXC Summit features presentations and round tables from regional education ministers and two plenary sessions, including one with a panel of university academics collectively interrogating the impact of technological innovations on Caribbean education and how regional policymakers and educators can work smarter using AI.
CXC Registrar Dr. Wayne Wesley will use the event to advise on CXC’s strategic approach using Generative AI and present ideas for a regional Responsive Generative AI Policy for Secondary Education.
“We have embraced AI as an imperative. We are now exploring AI tools to help enhance our operations. Generative AI can improve how we teach, how students learn, and how we ethically assess learners.
“We are infusing AI in all aspects of our qualifications, syllabus, teacher development, assessment, and administrative processes. Among our varied development programs, CXC is advancing an initiative to increase numeracy and English literacy where learners can benefit from using AI in a diagnostic assessment to improve their learning and engagement in the regional education system.”
Wesley said that CXC would also be exploring ways to use AI to digitize information it has for dissemination to learners, making it more engaging and interactive and, more importantly, incorporating information that is culturally relevant to the region.
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