NEW DELHI: Lack of resources and infrastructure affects the expansion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the education sector in India, said the latest UNESCO report launched on Tuesday.
The 2022 State of the Education Report (SOER) for India: Artificial Intelligence in Education - Here, There and Everywhere also listed social inequity, gender disparity, digital divide, and even region-based disparities hindering AI education in India.
The report bizarrely claimed that the high pupil-teacher ratios and lack of professionally qualified teachers in the Indian education sector might be addressed by AI-powered tools.
Highlighting that the AI market in India is expected to reach US$7.8 billion by 2025 at the rate of 20.2 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR), the report gave ten recommendations to catalyse India’s transformational journey through technical education and advanced tech-driven solutions in the educational processes.
These recommendations include ensuring that all students and teachers have access to the latest technology, expanding AI literacy efforts and involving the private sector to involve students and educationists in developing AI products.
"Today, improving the quality of education and students' learning outcomes are the utmost priorities of all countries. India has made significant strides in its education system, and strong indicators point to the country’s notable efforts to enhance learning outcomes, including using Artificial Intelligence-powered education technology, said Eric Falt, Director, UNESCO, New Delhi, at the release of the annual flagship report.
To align India’s curriculum to the 21st century and to prepare the students for the AI economy, National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 lays profound emphasis on the need to impart the necessary technical knowledge at all levels of education, he said.
The NEP emphasises the integration of AI in education and also promotes quality and skill-based education, he said, adding that the UNESCO report offers a glimpse of the varied dimensions and suggestions for future uses of AI in the school setting in India.
"The hope is that, in the coming years, Artificial Intelligence will play a positive and pivotal role in India's continuously evolving education sector. At the same time, while acknowledging the growing presence of Artificial Intelligence in everyday life, it is crucial to uphold the fundamental principles of ethics regarding Artificial Intelligence," the report added.
The key recommendations of the report:
Consider the ethics of Artificial Intelligence in education as an utmost priority
Rapidly provide an overall regulatory framework for Artificial Intelligence in Education
Create effective public-private partnerships
Ensure that all students and teachers have access to the latest technology
Expand AI literacy efforts
Attempt to correct algorithmic biases and the resulting discrimination
Improve public trust in Artificial Intelligence
Request the private sector to better involve students and educationists in developing AI products
Place ownership of data with the students
Embrace the versatility of Artificial Intelligence in Education systems