University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
10/03/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/03/2025 01:31
AI in schools could become next e-tolls debacle
AI in schools could become next e-tolls debacle
3 October 2025 -
AI surveillance in education promises efficiency, but like e-tolls, it risks importing foreign systems that fail our people, values and lived realities.
In a dusty classroom in the Eastern Cape, a teacher with 50 learners and no assistant juggles maths, discipline and hope. It's no wonder artificial intelligence (AI) sounds like salvation.
In South Africa's ongoing battle to improve education quality, especially in STEM, it's tempting to look toward technological solutions. Our classrooms are overcrowded, under-resourced and unevenly distributed in quality. AI, with its promise of smart analytics and personalised learning, seems like a modern-day lifeline.
But before we welcome AI surveillance into our schools, we must ask: What kind of education are we designing − and at what cost? [Read the full article]
Rennie Naidoo, Professor in Information Systems and Research Director at the Wits School of Business Sciences, Wits University. This article was first published on ITWeb.
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