Never Too Young To Learn: UNESCO Study Makes Pitch For AI In Indian Schools

The educational sector in India faces many challenges, including resources, infrastructure socio-economic inequities, gender dimensions, linguistic barriers and the digital divide.

But these challenges can be addressed by Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered tools, according to a recent study by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The study was referenced in the latest (25 October) issue of The Heuristic, the weekly newsletter of INDIAai, the joint initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), the National e-Governance Division and NASSCOM to evangelise AI.

The UNESCO report “2022 State of the Education Report (SOER) for India: Artificial Intelligence in Education – Here, There and Everywhere”, suggests that implementation of AI in education systems can revolutionise the teaching-learning process.

The Heuristic summarises the report’s key suggestions centred around three technologies:

• Machine Learning can be used for formal learning and teaching; school management; mapping and matching of skills

• Natural Language Processing can be used for formal and informal earning

• Computer Vision can be used for teaching, evaluation

The AI market in India is expected to reach $7.8 billion by 2025 and according to a NASSCOM study it may add $450-500 billion to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

AI literacy is becoming highly relevant in India since the AI market is the primary growth driver of the broader information technology (IT) and data science industry, suggests the UNESCO study.

The study goes on to say: “As early as 2018, the public policy think tank of the Government of India, NITI Aayog acknowledged the importance of AI literacy, in India and saw it as a national priority. This recognition is also reflected in the National Education Policy of 2020, which emphasises the integration of AI in education.”

“AI literacy consists of a technological and a human dimension; the technological dimension is concerned with data and algorithm literacy, while the human dimension comprises building awareness about the limitations and risks of AI and debating the various aspects of AI ethics”, the report says.

But it cautions: “The latter dimension is often neglected, although it is relevant to all individuals who manage or work with AI, which is likely to be everyone in the future.

Read More at https://swarajyamag.com/science/never-too-young-to-learn-unesco-study-makes-pitch-for-ai-in-indian-schools-as-a-subject-and-as-teaching-tool