As the world increasingly integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) into education, experts within the education space have said that Ghana faces a unique set of ethical and infrastructural challenges that need to be addressed as the country continues to advance its digital agenda.
The experts raised these concerns on EdTech Monday on the topic: The future of education in Ghana: Is there a case for AI-powered learning on the Citi Breakfast Show.
Rashida Musa, an AI integration specialist, raised concerns about the growing dependency on AI systems in Ghanaian schools. She warned of a future where students might lose fundamental skills, such as essay writing, due to an overreliance on technology.
“The ethical issues that plague us here in Ghana are that there is an overreliance on these systems. Students are going to grow up using these systems to write their essays, and they do not know how to write a proper essay on their own. Another thing is that there are communities here in Ghana that do not have internet or computers. So, you are going to have a generation that is completely segmented; some are going to grow up with AI, and some are not.
“I believe that when it comes to these ethical considerations, the government needs to come in and set the standard for what AI model deployed is for our children,” she stated.
Ethel Coffie, the board chair of the Ghana ICT Centre Skills, echoed Musa’s sentiments, emphasising the need for foundational infrastructure like electricity, which is crucial for AI operation.
She stressed the importance of developing a curriculum that can be taught without devices, ensuring that children in remote areas receive the foundational knowledge necessary for future learning.
“The first infrastructure is electricity; you have to understand that AI takes a lot of electricity, but this is the conversation we are not having. The technology gap that is going to happen is also going to be affected.”
Additionally, Ike Adjei Mensah, CEO and founder of the Deaf Can Talk App, urged a shift towards embracing modern trends and utilising locally developed AI tools.
“We need to consider modern trends. We say Africans are conservative; it is time that we get dynamic a little. We need to look at what is in the news, what the Western world is doing that is working for them, and how we can adapt to it.
“Secondly, we have a number of AI tools that are available, but we are not using them. Ghanaians are creating a number of these products that are quite useful for us to use on our own; we tend to depend on what is being created outside. I say that we understand the culture of our people, and so our solutions have been tailored to really solve the problems in a better context.
“…The most important thing for us now is product adoption and trying to use our solutions that we have created within the system because they have been tailored to solve the problems of our people,” he added.
As the country navigates the complexities of integrating AI into education, the voices of experts, the CEO of Cognitive AI Technologies, Joseph Fabian Ayitevi, added: “Let me say this: the laptops for students in Ghana lacked any preloaded learning models, and here are solutions to that.
“Developing AI models with access to curriculums, learning manuals, past exam questions, text-generating capabilities, automatic marking and grading, global certification and verification of exams, and authentications.
“Here are some of the benefits that can help us going forward. It will also free up teacher time, address the very large class sizes, and reduce the urban gap. All powered learners can also reach remote areas and give people access,” he added.
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