Balancing innovation and integrity in student learning

The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionised various facets of life, and education has not been spared.

Among secondary school students, the integration of AI into their academic lives is growing, particularly in the completion of home packages, especially during long holidays like mid-year and the end of the year.

This development has raised eyebrows among teachers, parents, and policymakers alike. While some students openly embrace AI tools for efficiency, others resist them, fearing that reliance on such tools could weaken their critical thinking skills.

A Form Four student at a prestigious school in Dar es Salaam, Emmanuel Joseph, candidly admits to using AI tools like ChatGPT for his home packages during the holidays.

For him, AI simplifies everything. When he has complex questions or essays to write, all he needs to do is input the topic, and the answers come out well-structured and accurate.

“It saves me a lot of time,” he says with conviction. Emmanuel doesn’t see this as laziness but rather as staying ahead in a rapidly evolving world. “The world is moving towards automation. If I can learn how to use AI effectively now, I’ll be better prepared for the future,” he asserts.

However, not all students share his perspective. A Form Three student in Dar es Salaam, Asha Suleiman, firmly believes in relying on her intellect. Although she has heard about AI from friends, she chooses not to use it for her home packages.

“If I let AI do my assignments, how will I learn to think for myself?” she asks rhetorically. Asha wants to challenge her brain, grow intellectually, and maintain the authenticity of her learning process. For her, the real concern is that classmates who use AI often fail to engage with the material.

“Sometimes they don’t even read what it generates. They just copy and paste. That’s not real learning,” she says.

Teachers have expressed mixed reactions to this growing trend, especially regarding home packages. A teacher in Arusha, Judith Kimario, acknowledges that AI usage among students is increasing, particularly when completing assignments during holidays, but she views it as problematic.

According to her, students no longer attempt to do assignments on their own. Instead, they simply input the questions into AI tools and submit the answers as their work.

“This is not learning; it’s dependency,” she laments.

She attributes the issue to the pressure on students to perform well academically and the ease of access to AI tools, often facilitated by well-meaning but misguided parents.

An English teacher at a private school in Mwanza, Patrick Bwire, has a different take. In his view, AI is here to stay, and rather than demonising it, educators should guide students on responsible usage, especially when it comes to completing home packages and other assignments.

“They can use AI to research and generate ideas but still engage their minds to develop unique perspectives,” he explains. For him, the key lies in striking a balance between utilising AI as a tool and maintaining intellectual effort.

Despite these differing views, one concern remains universal among teachers: the decline in originality. Many report a noticeable shift in the quality of assignments submitted by students during the holidays.

According to them, essays that once reflected individual thought processes now appear to be cookie-cutter solutions. Mostly, they say, in some cases, even grammatical errors are consistent across multiple submissions, raising suspicions about AI overuse.

Parents, on the other hand, often remain in the dark about their children’s reliance on AI for academic tasks. A mother of three secondary school students, Fatuma Rashid, was shocked to discover her eldest son had been using AI for his home packages. She thought he was researching online, unaware he was using advanced tools to generate entire essays.

“Sometimes, we trust them too much. We assume they are using their laptops or phones for genuine academic purposes,” she admits.

Meanwhile, the father of a Form Three student, Joseph Lema, believes that AI can be beneficial if used wisely. He points out that AI has the potential to supplement rather than substitute students’ efforts, making it a powerful learning tool when appropriately handled.

“But when they use it to avoid thinking, it becomes a problem,” he says, adding that parental involvement is critical in ensuring proper use of technology.

Technology experts argue that AI is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it equips students with a competitive edge in the modern world, where technological proficiency is essential. On the other, it introduces ethical dilemmas and challenges related to intellectual development.

"AI is like fire. It can cook your food or burn your house down, depending on how you use it," says co-founder of Sartify, Dr Michael Mollel. He emphasises the need for both students and educators to adopt a balanced approach.

"Rather than banning it outright, we should focus on teaching students how to use it as a tool to enhance learning, not replace it," he says.

One growing concern among teachers is the lack of transparency in students’ work. “Many admit it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish between genuine student effort and AI-generated assignments,” he shares.

Deputy Minister of Education Omary Kipanga has acknowledged the challenges posed by AI in the education sector. While recognising its potential benefits, he stresses the importance of using AI responsibly.

“Artificial Intelligence has immense potential to enhance learning,” he says. However, he is equally concerned about its misuse by students.

He emphasises the need for schools to educate students on the ethical use of technology and urges parents to remain vigilant in monitoring their children’s tech habits.

Mr Kipanga highlights the necessity of teacher training to address this issue, noting, “Teachers must be equipped with the knowledge to identify AI-generated work and guide students on how to integrate AI responsibly into their studies.” He notes that in addition to teacher training, policymakers are exploring ways to integrate AI education into the curriculum.

“The Ministry of Education has proposed workshops and seminars for students to understand the basics of AI, its capabilities, and its limitations. These initiatives aim to demystify the technology and encourage its use as a supplementary tool rather than a shortcut,” he explains.

He adds: “AI is running the world right now, and we will continue to do better in coping with the world in a better way. We will continue to help our children tackle the challenges associated with AI use and make our education flourish while embracing AI in the best way.”