Few weeks ago, on the International Day of Education, I shared my thoughts on a very important topic at a symposium—the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in education and the importance of law in this area.
The Child Rights Act and the Universal Basic Education Act, among others, guarantee the right to education. AI is a powerful tool that can help achieve this goal faster and more effectively as we approach the SDGs 2030 deadline. The internet is full of examples of how AI can benefit learners, teachers, schools, parents, and even government officials in Nigeria’s education sector.
However, we must tread carefully because AI also brings serious challenges. These challenges are made worse by weak lawmaking and enforcement. For instance, AI relies heavily on data, which raises concerns about privacy and data breaches involving learners and, in some cases, teachers. This goes against the provisions of the1999 Constitution, Child Rights Act and the Data Protection Act.
Although the Data Protection Act outlines principles and steps for protecting data—such as consent, security, and confidentiality, especially for children—there is still little public awareness about these rules. Coupled with our tendency to neglect laws, this increases the chances of violations, which could lead to serious problems now and in the future. A clear example of this is how poor data management in the banking sector has led to Nigerians being harassed by online loan companies.
Another problem is the lack of safeguards to ensure that data used in AI systems represents all students, not just those in high-class schools in major cities like Lagos and Abuja. We must ask: what measures are in place to prevent injustice when automated systems make decisions about students?
In addition, there is the issue of students and teachers relying too much on artificial intelligence. We cannot allow AI to replace human intelligence and connection. There should be clear guidelines on the limits of AI in schools and at home when it comes to our children’s education.
Finally, there’s the issue of academic and exam malpractice. The Examination Malpractice Act 1999 has not been effective in stopping this growing problem. The rise of AI could make it even worse.
This raises important questions: Are we ready to face the challenges AI brings to education? Are our laws strong enough? Are our enforcement systems strong enough? Do we even care if they are? I think that is even the most crucial aspect, we need to care about the effectiveness of our laws in addressing potential challenges that the use of AI in the Nigerian education sector may bring. We need to start pushing for stronger laws and better enforcement. We also need to spread the word and educate people about these legal issues.
I find it not just upsetting but also worrying that we rarely talk about the role of law in the education sector, even on important topics like the use of artificial intelligence in education. It is even more upsetting that while there are many programs and efforts by the government and non-profits to make good use of artificial intelligence, very few, if any, focus on the law. We must do better, we can do better, we must change!
In other words, dear reader, while we celebrate its benefits and make big plans to use them fully, we must also be careful about its possible dangers and create laws and systems to handle them.
We cannot afford to leave any child behind, but we also cannot afford to harm them while trying to bring them along!
Until next time, I am Emmanuel Praise, TheTeacherLawyer. I share my thoughts on education law here on the Edugist platform. Starting next month, I’ll also be launching a newsletter on education law on LinkedIn. Join me there to learn more.
Happy (Belated) International Day of Education!
