- New program with Microsoft will be implemented in 20 schools across 20 districtsAI can help Sri Lanka address educational woes, including teacher shortage
Sri Lanka is working to integrate artificial intelligence into the school curriculum and the educational framework, the Ministry of Education said on Wednesday.
The ministry signed on Tuesday a memorandum of understanding with Microsoft Corp. to launch a new initiative introducing AI for students in 20 Sri Lankan districts.
“Sri Lanka very recently focused on this AI and technologies to incorporate in the current existing curriculum and the upcoming reforms,” K. P. Munagama, additional secretary for IT and digital education at the ministry, told Arab News.
“Microsoft and the minister of education together are going to implement AI integration into the school curriculum that is coming to 20 schools and 100 teachers in the pilot round. We are going to introduce it into grade eight.”
The program with Microsoft is set for full implementation by 2025 and will have a dedicated team from the company that will facilitate online educational activities, according to a statement issued by the President’s Media Division of Sri Lanka.
The education ministry has also been working with private companies to identify feasible ways of introducing AI technology into the education system, and recently launched a program at the Skills College of Technology in Colombo, he added.
The incorporation of AI can benefit the Sri Lankan education system in various ways, Munagama said, including to address the shortage of teachers in some subjects, such as STEM and engineering technology.
“We can get the assistance of AI in the future with some developing AI-assisted tools to support the learning platform in a technical manner … The teachers can utilize AI to develop pedagogical activities,” Munagama said.
Sri Lanka is in the early stages of integrating AI into the education system and still has to address the lack of infrastructure to support the high-level technology, he added.
“But day by day, we are advancing forward.”
