The influence of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming daily life and work dynamics. McKinsey predicts that by 2030, 70% of businesses globally will have embraced AI, presenting both opportunities and challenges (McKinsey Global, 2018). However, there exists a critical gap in AI education within South Africa’s primary and high schools. This article leverages insights from a UNESCO report on K-12 AI curricula, explores the deficiencies in the current CAPS curriculum to propose recommendations for integrating AI education from grades R-12.
South African government seeks to explore AI’s potential(CGTNnetwork,2024)
The Need for AI Education in South Africa’s Schools
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are transforming industries and permeating all aspects of our daily lives. Experts widely acknowledge that AI will have significant implications for jobs and education. A study by McKinsey predicts that by 2030, an astounding 70% of global businesses will have adopted AI. While this widespread adoption promises various opportunities, it also poses challenges and risks exacerbating existing global disparities (United Nations Educational, 2018).
International policy guidance emphasises the need for fair and comprehensive application of AI in education. This includes using AI to enrich learning experiences, cultivate skills essential for AI-driven professions and uphold ethical and transparent practices in utilising education data (United Nations Educational, 2018). Unfortunately, there are few initiatives focusing on AI education within primary and high school settings. This highlights the urgent need for policymakers to create supportive environments and educational frameworks that encourage the exploration of AI (Wong, Ma, Dillenbourg, & Huan, 2020;Grassini, 2023).
To address this gap, it is crucial for countries to implement AI curricula in their education systems. A UNESCO report indicates that various countries have developed or are developing AI curricula, but none are from Africa (Sanusi, Olaleye, Oyelere, & Dixon, 2022; United Nations Educational, 2018). UNESCO has examined existing AI curricula and offers guidance for nations interested in developing AI curricula for K-12 education(United Nations Educational, 2018). This is the foundation of this article.
Integrating AI Education into South Africa’s Curriculum
Based on the recommendations from the UNESCO report on AI curriculum for K-12, this article aims to provide a recommendations for integrating AI education into South Africa’s primary and high schools, from grade R-12. The article identifies gaps in the existing curriculum that need to be addressed to strengthen AI education in South Africa. The article proposes that by leveraging insights and recommendations from the UNESCO report, South Africa can establish a comprehensive AI curriculum in its education system. This will prepare learners for an AI-driven future and help bridge the skills gap between education and the job market.
UNESCO Report on AI Curriculum for K-12
The UNESCO report outlines four key stages in developing AI curricula: curriculum development and endorsement, curriculum integration and management, content and learning outcomes, and curriculum implementation. Each stage plays a crucial role in creating an effective AI education framework (United Nations Educational, 2018).
Curriculum Development and Endorsement
The development and endorsement stage involves several approaches:
- Centralized Government-Led Approach: The government leads the creation and implementation of AI educational content, overseeing the design, regulation, and delivery in schools (United Nations Educational, 2018).
- Government-Commissioned Private Provision: The government collaborates with private companies to develop and implement AI curricula, leveraging their expertise and resources (United Nations Educational, 2018).
- Government-Directed Decentralized Approach: Local governments or individual schools are given autonomy to develop and integrate AI curricula (United Nations Educational, 2018).
- Private-Sector-Driven Non-Governmental AI Curricula: These are developed and led by private sector entities, offering flexibility and adaptability to different educational frameworks (United Nations Educational, 2018).
Curriculum Integration and Management
Different models are used to integrate AI into existing education systems:
- Discrete AI Curriculum: AI is a separate subject within the curriculum, with dedicated materials, texts, and time allocations (United Nations Educational, 2018).
- Embedded AI Curriculum: AI concepts are integrated into other subjects like ICT, computer science, language, math, physics, and engineering(United Nations Educational, 2018).
- Interdisciplinary AI Curriculum: AI content is included across multiple subjects to promote collaboration and cross-subject learning (United Nations Educational, 2018).
- Multiple-Modality AI Curriculum: This approach combines traditional classroom resources with informal learning opportunities, including extracurricular activities(United Nations Educational, 2018).
- Flexible AI Curriculum: This adaptable approach is customized to meet the unique needs of different regions, school networks, or individual schools (United Nations Educational, 2018).
AI Curriculum Integration and Management in South Africa
In South Africa, AI is embedded in the robotics and coding curriculum for grades 7(Department of Basic Education, 2019). However, this integration is minimal, with AI covered only as a topic within the Internet and E-Communication skills strand.
Allocation of Curriculum Hours
The time allocated to AI content in South Africa draft CAPS curriculum is very limited. AI is introduced with only a 2-hour allocation in grade 7(Department of Basic Education, 2019). This covers basic AI concepts and applications like predictive text, search engines, gaming AI, expert systems, natural language processing, and manufacturing (Department of Basic Education, 2019). Students also get to watch video demonstrations and try out AI applications on devices (Department of Basic Education, 2019).
However, this 2-hour allocation is much shorter than the global average. For instance, according to the UNESCO report, “the average time commitment as a whole for middle school (grades 7–9) was 109 hours, and for high schools (grades 10–12) the average was 153.5 hours. The average hours per grade were relatively static in K–9: 33.3 hours in grades K–2; 39 in grades 3–6; and 36.3 in grades 7–9. In high schools, the average time commitment per grade increases to 51.2 hours” (United Nations Educational, 2018). Moreover, the draft curriculum proposes to offer AI in grade 7, with no commitment as yet for continuation in grades R-6 or grades 8-12. This indicates that AI education in South Africa is still in its early stages and may need significant expansion.
Content and Learning Outcomes
The report identifies nine essential components for AI curricula: algorithms and programming, understanding data, problem-solving, ethical considerations, societal impact, and diverse AI applications. These topics are crucial for providing students with a comprehensive understanding of AI.
Enhancing AI Education in South Africa’s K-12 Curriculum
The current CAPS-aligned Robotics and Coding course in South Africa offers an introductory exposure to artificial intelligence (AI), but its coverage of AI-related topics remains limited. While it provides students with a foundational understanding of AI concepts and applications, there is significant room for expansion to offer a more comprehensive grasp of this evolving field.
Key curriculum areas needing further development include
The UNESCO report highlights three AI curriculum areas. These include AI foundations, Ethics and Social impact, Understanding using and developing AI(United Nations Educational, 2018).
While the CAPS-aligned Robotics and Coding course provides an introductory exposure to AI, its coverage of AI-related topics remains limited. It offers a foundational understanding of AI concepts and applications but leaves room for further expansion to provide students with a more comprehensive grasp of this evolving field. For instance Additional topics within AI foundations, ethics, and social impact are imperative. There is need to provide a deeper understanding on the application and development of AI. Specifically, this article contends that there’s a deficiency in the exploration of using AI techniques, and the development and use of AI technologies.
This article argues that the current curriculum lacks depth in exploring these crucial aspects of AI. To address these gaps, we suggest the introduction of standalone AI curricula. This could involve either incorporating a dedicated AI strand within the existing CAPS robotics and coding subject or establishing a completely separate AI course.
Additionally, while the CAPS-aligned Coding and Robotics curriculum serves as a guideline rather than a strict prescription of content, it is important to acknowledge the potential variability in the knowledge and depth of understanding that learners may acquire. The curriculum’s flexibility allows schools and content developers to create their own material within the allocated time and guidelines. This can lead to variations in the coverage and emphasis on different AI topics.
While this flexibility allows for customisation to meet the specific needs of learners and schools, it also introduces potential gaps in the curriculum. Without specific content requirements, some schools might not comprehensively address certain aspects of AI or might overlook important considerations such as ethical implications, societal impact, or the latest developments in AI technologies.
Conclusion
While South Africa has started integrating AI into its R-12 curriculum, there are still major areas for improvement. The minimal time allocated and lack of dedicated AI modules may prevent learners from gaining a thorough understanding of AI. To address these issues, Education regulators and departmental authorities need to develop a standalone AI curriculum that is inclusive, accessible, and regularly evaluated. Collaboration with various stakeholders and using insights from reports like UNESCO’s can help South Africa prepare its students for an AI-driven future and bridge the skills gap between education and the job market.
References
Aziz, L. A.-R., & Andriansyah, Y. (2023). The Role Artificial Intelligence in Modern Banking: An Exploration of AI-Driven Approaches for Enhanced Fraud Prevention, Risk Management, and Regulatory Compliance. Reviews of Contemporary Business Analytics, 6(1), 110-132.
Baker, T., Smith, L., & Anissa, N. (2019). Exploring the future of artificial intelligence in schools and colleges. Retrieved from United Kingdom: https://media.nesta.org.uk/documents/Future_of_AI_and_education_v5_WEB.pdf
Bharadiya, J. (2023). Artificial Intelligence in Transportation Systems A Critical Review. American Journal of Computing and Engineering, 6(1), 34-45.
Cantú-Ortiz, F. J., Galeano Sánchez, N., Garrido, L., Terashima-Marin, H., & Brena, R. F. (2020). An artificial intelligence educational strategy for the digital transformation. International Journal on Interactive Design and Manufacturing (IJIDeM), 14, 1195-1209.
Cao, L. (2022). Ai in finance: challenges, techniques, and opportunities. ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR), 55(3), 1-38.
Choi, R. Y., Coyner, A. S., Kalpathy-Cramer, J., Chiang, M. F., & Campbell, J. P. (2020). Introduction to machine learning, neural networks, and deep learning. Translational vision science & technology, 9(2), 14-14.
Dargan, S., Kumar, M., Ayyagari, M. R., & Kumar, G. (2020). A survey of deep learning and its applications: a new paradigm to machine learning. Archives of Computational Methods in Engineering, 27, 1071-1092.
Department of Basic Education. (2019). Proposed amendments to the curriculum and Assessment policy statement (caps) to make provision For coding and robotics grades 7- 9. Retrieved from https://www.education.gov.za/Portals/0/Documents/Legislation/Call%20for%20Comments/draftcodingandroboticscurriculum/Grade7-9%20Coding%20and%20Robotics%20Draft%20CAPS%20FINAL%2019Mar2021.pdf?ver=2021-03-24-164612-000
Goel, A., Goel, A. K., & Kumar, A. (2023). The role of artificial neural network and machine learning in utilizing spatial information. Spatial Information Research, 31(3), 275-285.
Grassini, S. (2023). Shaping the future of education: exploring the potential and consequences of AI and ChatGPT in educational settings. Education Sciences, 13(7), 692.
Heeg, D. M., & Avraamidou, L. (2023). The use of Artificial intelligence in school science: a systematic literature review. Educational Media International, 1-26.
Kabudi, T., Pappas, I., & Olsen, D. H. (2021). AI-enabled adaptive learning systems: A systematic mapping of the literature. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 2, 100017.
Khanagar, S. B., Al-Ehaideb, A., Maganur, P. C., Vishwanathaiah, S., Patil, S., Baeshen, H. A., . . . Bhandi, S. (2021). Developments, application, and performance of artificial intelligence in dentistry–A systematic review. Journal of dental sciences, 16(1), 508-522.
Li, L. (2023). Role of chatbots on gastroenterology: Let’s chat about the future. Gastroenterology & Endoscopy.
Lin, S. (2022). A clinician’s guide to artificial intelligence (AI): why and how primary care should lead the health care AI revolution. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 35(1), 175-184.
Matulis, J., & McCoy, R. (2023). Relief in Sight? Chatbots, In-baskets, and the Overwhelmed Primary Care Clinician. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 1-8.
McKinsey Global. (2018). Notes from The AI frontier Modeling the Impact of ai on the
Pedro, F., Subosa, M., Rivas, A., & Valverde, P. (2019). Artificial intelligence in education: Challenges and opportunities for sustainable development. Retrieved from http://repositorio.minedu.gob.pe/bitstream/handle/20.500.12799/6533/Artificial%20intelligence%20in%20education%20challenges%20and%20opportunities%20for%20sustainable%20development.pdf
Sanusi, I. T., Olaleye, S. A., Oyelere, S. S., & Dixon, R. A. (2022). Investigating learners’ competencies for artificial intelligence education in an African K-12 setting. Computers and Education Open, 3, 100083.
Sivasankar, G. (2022). Study of blockchain technology, AI and digital networking in metaverse. IRE Journals, 5(8), 110-115.
Sun, L., Gupta, R. K., & Sharma, A. (2022). Review and potential for artificial intelligence in healthcare. International Journal of System Assurance Engineering and Management, 13(Suppl 1), 54-62.
United Nations Educational, S. a. C. O. (2018). K-12 AI curricula: A mapping of government-endorsed AI curricula. Retrieved from
Wong, G. K., Ma, X., Dillenbourg, P., & Huan, J. (2020). Broadening artificial intelligence education in K-12: where to start? ACM Inroads, 11(1), 20-29.
Xu, Y., Zhang, X., Fu, Y., & Liu, Y. (2021). Interfacing photonics with artificial intelligence: an innovative design strategy for photonic structures and devices based on artificial neural networks. Photonics Research, 9(4), B135-B152.
Zhai, X. (2022). ChatGPT user experience: Implications for education. Available at SSRN 4312418.
