THERE are fresh concerns today that Jamaica’s schools are not moving quickly enough to address the challenges of artificial intelligence (AI), which is changing the way children learn.

Head of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools Anniona Jones says local educators are now racing to find the right balance.

Jones, who serves as principal of Haile Selassie High School, told the Jamaica Observer that the leaders of Jamaica’s schools are not opposed to AI as they recognise that the technology will become increasingly embedded in education and the workplace.

She argued that the challenge is ensuring students use AI responsibly without allowing it to replace the critical thinking, creativity, and the problem-solving skills they are expected to develop.

“So AI integration and AI infusion has been something that has been on the table for very long, and a lot of the reclamation of our industries are going to include AI infusion. So we are not against artificial intelligence, it would be ridiculous. What we are looking at is how can we teach responsible use of artificial intelligence? How do we ensure that it does not compromise creativity but, rather, the natural evolution of using this tool?” Jones said.

She likened the current debate to the introduction of calculators decades ago, when similar concerns were raised about students becoming overly dependent on technology before schools eventually adapted.

However, Jones acknowledged that Jamaica’s education system is struggling to keep pace with the rapid evolution of AI.

“The challenge that we’re facing is that we’re not keeping up, and that’s the truth,” she said.

Jones attributed this to the many competing demands placed on schools, coupled with the significant disparities in access to technology across the education system.

According to Jones, while some schools have embraced digital learning through various platforms, and have students and parents who are already technologically savvy, others continue to grapple with basic infrastructure challenges

“All schools are not created equal. So there are some schools that use the Google Classroom well, [and] they have a Turnitin platform. The teachers have certain resources available. Parents and children already come with certain skill sets and a way of thinking, and they are ready to go and they are raring to go, and we celebrate those schools.

The challenge is ensuring students use AI responsibly without allowing it to replace the critical thinking, creativity, and the problem-solving skills they are expected to develop.

“And there are other schools that struggle with electricity in the classroom, access to technology, and so those schools may not have the same degree of AI challenge for the completion of exams because their level of technology infusion is very low,” she explained.

Jones said the rapid adoption of AI has also forced some schools to introduce new rules, including banning smartwatches, in an effort to discourage students from relying on technology to complete assignments.

She noted, however, that the experience is not uniform across the country.

At her own school, Jones said students are more likely to use AI for content creation, such as editing videos and designing posters, than to complete academic assignments. In other schools, she said, teachers are encountering students who simply photograph worksheets, upload them to AI platforms, copy the generated responses and submit the work within minutes.

Jones argued that the greatest concern is not classroom instruction, where teachers can supervise students directly, but the work completed independently at home.

She explained that because of those concerns, many educators are increasingly adopting what is known internationally as the “flipped classroom” approach, shifting more complex learning activities from homework to the classroom where teachers can better guide students and verify that the work reflects their own thinking.

But while AI has the potential to improve teachers’ efficiency and enhance classroom learning, Jones warned that it has also undermined confidence in the authenticity of work completed outside school.

“Teachers can no longer trust the academic integrity of what happens outside of their physical presence because we can take away the phones, take away the smart watches, take away the laptops and do some things within the confines of school. But that homework component, that independent learning component, that is where we’re having the bulk of the AI utilisation and the lack of academic rigour and integrity that concerns us,” she said.

Jones is urging parents to play a more active role in helping children develop healthy habits around AI, arguing that the technology is “going nowhere” and that the focus should now be on ensuring students use it to become more productive without sacrificing independent thought.

“We are preparing them for a future that we have not seen but have to help create. So how do we now not have the children outsource their thinking but rather increase their productivity using AI while retaining their creative thinking? That’s what we’re struggling with,” Jones added.