KINGSTON, Jamaica—The Jamaica Teachers’ Association is calling on the Ministry of Education to urgently convene a meeting with teachers, school leaders, students, parents, assessment specialists, universities and technology experts to develop a national policy on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in education.

This call follows an announcement by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) on Thursday of reforms to its School-Based Assessment (SBA) framework, which it said aims to strengthen assessment integrity across Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, in response to the rapid rise of Generative AI (artificial intelligence) and other technological innovations.

According to CXC, the move intends to resist the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in the learning process, but rather to safeguard the integrity of the assessment process as learners and the regional education system continues to adjust to the scale of the impact of AI on Caribbean education.

READ: CXC introduces reforms to SBA framework to safeguard integrity amid rise of generative AI

But JTA in a statement on Wednesday said while it recognises CXC’s responsibility to protect the integrity, credibility and international acceptance of its qualifications, the concerns raised extend far beyond the administration of regional examinations. It said they have wider implications for Jamaica’s education system and demand an urgent national conversation about teaching, learning, assessment and the responsible use of artificial intelligence.

“CXC’s decision represents a clear acknowledgement that the existing assessment framework has not kept pace with the rapid advancement and widespread availability of generative artificial intelligence. Put plainly, CXC appears to have been caught largely unprepared and has, to some extent, become a casualty of the very technological transformation it is now seeking to manage. The rapid phasing out of traditional SBAs in several non-practical subjects suggests that the organisation did not act with sufficient foresight, despite the growing evidence over several years that AI would fundamentally alter questions of authorship, originality and academic integrity,” the JTA said.

According to the JTA, replacing the traditional SBA with Paper 032 may address only one dimension of the problem noting that the misuse of AI is not confined to students completing SBAs.

“It affects homework, internal examinations, research assignments, lesson planning, tertiary education and the broader production and evaluation of knowledge. The challenge, therefore, cannot be solved merely by moving more assessments into controlled examination environments. It requires a comprehensive regional strategy for AI literacy, ethical conduct and authentic assessment. This development also raises serious ethical considerations for Jamaica,” JTA noted.

The association said students must be taught not simply how to use AI, but how to interrogate its output, identify inaccuracies and biases, acknowledge its use appropriately and avoid presenting machine-generated material as their own. While, teachers, school leaders and parents must also be equipped to guide students through this new technological reality.

The JTA said the recently announced reforms also raise concerns about equity as not all students or schools have equal access to digital devices, reliable internet connectivity, AI platforms or teachers who have received adequate training in emerging technologies.

It stressed that without deliberate intervention, AI could widen existing inequalities between schools and communities.

As such, the JTA is calling for the Ministry of Education to convene an urgent session with teachers, school leaders, students, parents and other stakeholders to develop a national policy on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in education.

“Schools cannot be left to navigate these complex ethical, instructional and assessment issues individually. CXC’s announcement must be treated as a warning to the entire education system. Artificial intelligence cannot simply be prohibited, ignored or feared,” JTA said.

“However, neither can it be allowed to erode intellectual honesty, independent thought and confidence in our qualifications. The task before us is to integrate AI responsibly while ensuring that every certificate awarded continues to represent the genuine knowledge, skills and capabilities of the student,” it continued.