What’s being done at international schools in Egypt to regulate the use of generative AI in classrooms? Last year, we looked at how K-12 teachers began to adapt to the emergence of the technology, with some teachers telling us at the time that — in addition to keeping a sharp eye on potential illicit use of the technology — they were beginning to integrate generative AI tools into their classrooms and guiding students on how to use it. Adaptive learning technology is no stranger to Egypt’s international schools, as platforms such as CenturyTech have been used in most if not all of them for years; but the policies mediating the use of new AI technology are slowly catching up, our sources tell us.

This is a question that’s been at the forefront of education policy discussion around the world: Some schools and universities abroad have been integrating AI and tools such as ChatGPT in their curricula, Reuters reports, as OpenAI — the developer behind ChatGPT — is looking to work with teachers to help guide them on best practices. UNESCO issued the world’s first ever global guidelines on the use of GenAI in academic research in September in a bid to set a framework to promote the safe integration of artificial intelligence into school curricula, while taming the technology.

Here in Egypt, AI rules and regulations haven’t been codified on the school level yet:“Monitoring and controlling the use of AI is still weak, even globally. I think the world is still in the process of passing legally binding regulations to guide its use,” Alyaa Said, chief communications officer at CIRA Education, told Enterprise. Some schools such as BCCIS have a code of conduct for IT that also applies to the use of AI — think firewalls, internet search alarms and data protection schemes — but AI-specific regulations have yet to flood the schools of Cairo, CEO of Eduhive, which manages BCCIS, Karim Mostafa told us.

AI platforms are not integrated into school curricula yet but are used to support day-to-day learning: Currently, there remains a dearth of AI-savvy platforms for schools to build their curriculums on, but Mostafa says AI-derived technology is used as a part of the everyday education in BCCIS in an effort to keep high school students engaged while also making efficiency gains.

There are plenty of risks involved with AI, such as cybersecurity, data privacy, plagiarism, and high dependence among students that undermines learning, Mostafa said. However, he sees that AI presents more advantages than disadvantages when it comes to the business of learning. “Plagiarism is already there…but AI is going to revolutionize education,” he said.

To mitigate these risks, schools are focusing on raising awareness: “We host awareness sessions for both the students and their parents to inform them of the negative consequences while making sure they are able to get the best out of this kind of technology,” Said tells us.

And they’re putting comprehensive evaluation schemes in place as a cheating repellent:Cross sectional assessment is one way to mitigate against the risk of plagiarism and the copyright issues that arise with the use of generative AI tools. “We have to change the way we test” to focus more on conceptual understanding, rather than information retention, Mostafa tells us. Oral and on-the-spot work are also making a comeback, Said adds. “More weight is put on tests and in-class quizzes than online work.”

Top-down change from international accreditors is needed: International accreditors are yet to integrate AI into international schools’ curricula, Mostafa tells us.

The government needs to row in the same direction: AI regulating policies in the education sector would catalyze strict implementation on a national scale if they were to come from the Education Ministry, Said tells us. “We will always be followers to these advancements; we have to be reactive rather than proactive when it comes to regulating AI in schools,” Mostafa added.

Meanwhile, there are prospects for AI in the business of education: “We are expecting AI innovations to come out with new tech-ed servers that would help organizations in the education business enhance the learning experience, namely AI for test banks, AI for curriculums,” Said says. “It would be interesting to see AI design school systems, education outcomes, and learning curves from students,” Mostafa adds.

Your top education stories for the week: Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects has granted some USD 100k to Al Munawer Foundation for Development to support education of mobility-disabled children in Cairo.

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