Revitalizing learning through the use of information and communication technologies in African education systems: towards an essential transition through AI?

• In Event: Roundtable Session 1
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Brokering the Knowledge Brokers: Are regional hubs the way forward?

Proposal

This panel will present the results of three major studies carried out in different partner countries of the GPEKIX Africa 21 Center as well as the conclusions of a major workshop that will bring together 25 African countries from French-speaking and Portuguese-speaking Africa on the use of digital technology and the transition to artificial intelligence.

The integration of digital technology now represents a strategic issue for the development of the African continent. This development undeniably requires the education and training of a critical mass of men, women and young people capable of contributing to the structural transformation of their economies.

Following a major study carried out in 2020, on the identification of regional priorities in French-speaking countries, the issue of educational digital technology, among other priorities, emerged as a problem with strong potential in terms of solutions.

Indeed, since the launch of the GPEKIX initiative, particularly in the context of a health crisis, the issue of educational digital technology has been given a prominent place in the global but also African educational context to ensure educational continuity. This has allowed the various ministries to measure the potential that information and communication technologies could offer in the education sector. These opportunities lie in access, improving quality but also in the governance of education.

According to PASEC data, among students who enter school, particularly in the first grades, 70% of them do not acquire basic reading and writing skills and 50% in mathematics. And this is particularly true in French-speaking countries where the learning crisis remains a real challenge. At the same time, another major challenge is facing education systems, which is AI. This transition from digital to AI has now become a major topic of discussion and a global concern for all education systems in the world. Africa is obviously not on the sidelines of this adventure. However, to integrate digital technology and make the transition to optimal use of AI in education, this assumes that optimal use of digital and technological tools is already in place.

The analysis of the systems in the countries studied as well as the representation of the actors revealed to us a certain number of realities that constitute real obstacles to the development of digital education in the region and the transition to artificial intelligence.

During this panel, firstly, we will highlight the difficulties encountered, the opportunities and the perspectives offered by information and communication technologies in the educational systems of the region covered by the GPEKIX Africa 21 Center while taking into account the environmental dimension for optimal and sustainable use.

Secondly, we will try to define the futures of education in the region, by asking ourselves a certain number of questions with a view to transitioning from the simple use of digital tools to the use of artificial intelligence in order to personalize teaching and optimize the qualitative transformation of educational systems in the partner countries of the GPEKIX Africa 21 Center.

Authors

• Maïmouna SISSOKO TOURE, IFEF OIF

• Hamidou Dodo Boukary, International Development Research Center