Reforming primary and secondary education systems in almost any part of the world typically requires at least 10 years for the effects to begin to materialise. But integrating artificial intelligence raises the prospect of accelerating reforms and compressing a 10 or 20-year cycle into five years or less. Using AI to further improve their respective education systems could, therefore, end up being the single-most important contribution that the Gulf countries make to their ongoing economic diversification strategies.
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study is a systematic effort to compare educational outcomes between countries. In the 2023 cycle, 58 countries participated, including all six Gulf countries. Overall, their performance confirmed that their achievements fall short of their aspirations. For example, in the Grade 8 mathematics evaluation, five of the six Gulf states were in the bottom 14, with only the UAE lying in the middle of the global pack.
Such findings will have provided food for thought to policymakers in the region, given the importance of education to most countries’ long-term economic development. Historically, when countries with modest natural resources have realised high living standards, having a highly educated population has always been a prerequisite, with countries such as Ireland, Singapore and South Korea being examples.
The challenge that policymakers face when seeking to reform their education systems is that it is an excruciating process that requires unusually high levels of patience. There are two reasons for this. First, educating a child takes 12 years, and so modifying the education system means waiting at least 10 years for the effects to be tangible. This timeline is further extended by the need to teach teachers, too, as upskilling instructors is central to improving schooling.
The second reason is that education extends well beyond the classroom, and it includes family and public life. Reforming the latter two, for example by encouraging parents to read more with their children, also requires a long horizon.
Yet AI offers a way to supercharge this traditionally slow process.
When being introduced to AI in educational settings, teachers often fixate on the downsides, namely the negative effects it might have on human creativity, and the threats that AI poses to the integrity of standard assessment techniques such as take-home exams. This has led some reactive educational institutions to blanket-ban the use of AI pending gaining a better understanding of its impact.
Educators around the world have been slow in exploiting AI, primarily due to the scepticism about new technologies
However, when it comes to student instruction, AI is a veritable double-edged sword. Arguably the most important element on the positive side of the ledger is the personalisation of teaching – in other words, the ability to present the material to the student in a manner that is tailored to the student’s unique strengths and weaknesses. Traditional classroom settings involve a teacher instructing in a largely homogenised fashion, with strict limits on the teacher’s ability to respond to the needs of individual students. That harms both lower-ability students who are struggling to keep up, and their precocious cohorts who want to stride ahead but are held back by the class average.
Vast amounts of research have found that having AI-powered assistants for each student who absorb the material that the teacher is presenting and then adapting it to the student’s idiosyncrasies can have a transformational impact on educational outcomes: what typically takes a year to learn in a standard classroom setting can take as little as two months under AI-powered tailoring. It also makes the process of learning much more enjoyable for both teacher and student, with most of the frustration induced by homogenous instruction eliminated.
So far, educators around the world have been somewhat slow in exploiting this opportunity, primarily due to the scepticism that all humans have about new technologies. Teachers are understandably hesitant about the prospect of introducing a tool into their classroom that might ultimately eliminate their profession. This creates an opportunity for the Gulf countries to become global leaders in AI-centred educational reforms, subject to them paying attention to key risks and pitfalls.
The first is the need to assuage teachers’ fears about losing their jobs to AI. There are many potential ways to ensure that AI improves educators’ productivity rather than displaces their efforts, but uncovering these methods requires working closely with teachers to explore the options. For example, by focusing AI on routine elements of the instruction cycle, teachers can allocate more time to mentorship, project-based learning and social-emotional support. This approach emphasises AI’s inability to replicate core components of teaching, namely empathy, moral guidance and nuanced judgment.
The second is demonstrating high levels of administrative agility. Using the benefits of AI in the classroom requires much more than downloading an app and making small adjustments to the daily routine. Instead, schools need to effect a total transformation in their approach to education, with teachers needing to be retrained, classrooms needing to be repurposed, parents needing to be informed, and civil servants needing to undergo a mindset shift. The nimbleness that the Gulf countries have so far shown in areas such as legal reforms needs to be transplanted to the educational sector, with an understanding by all stakeholders that if you want to make an omelette, you need to break eggs.
AI is not a silver bullet, but it might be the closest thing we have ever had to one in education. If the Gulf countries embrace this technology with the same boldness that they have shown in economic and legal reforms, they can speed up a transformation that once took generations. The window of opportunity is open – and those who act swiftly and smartly could leapfrog their way to the global educational frontier. In the race for economic diversification, AI in the classroom might just be the Gulf’s most powerful accelerator.
SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE%20SWIMMERS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESally%20El-Hosaini%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENathalie%20Issa%2C%20Manal%20Issa%2C%20Ahmed%20Malek%20and%20Ali%20Suliman%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.6-litre turbo
Transmission: six-speed automatic
Power: 165hp
Torque: 240Nm
Price: From Dh89,000 (Enjoy), Dh99,900 (Innovation)
On sale: Now
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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If%20you%20go
%3Cp%3EThere%20are%20regular%20flights%20from%20Dubai%20to%20Kathmandu.%20Fares%20with%20Air%20Arabia%20and%20flydubai%20start%20at%20Dh1%2C265.%3Cbr%3EIn%20Kathmandu%2C%20rooms%20at%20the%20Oasis%20Kathmandu%20Hotel%20start%20at%20Dh195%20and%20Dh120%20at%20Hotel%20Ganesh%20Himal.%3Cbr%3EThird%20Rock%20Adventures%20offers%20professionally%20run%20group%20and%20individual%20treks%20and%20tours%20using%20highly%20experienced%20guides%20throughout%20Nepal%2C%20Bhutan%20and%20other%20parts%20of%20the%20Himalayas.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company%20Profile
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Tim Paine (captain), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
SERIES SCHEDULE
First Test, Galle International Stadium
July 26-30
Second Test, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
August 3-7
Third Test, Pallekele International Stadium
August 12-16
First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla Stadium
August 20
Second ODI, Pallekele International Stadium
August 24
Third ODI, Pallekele International Stadium
August 27
Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
August 31
Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
September 3
T20, R Premadasa Stadium
September 6
Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world
New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
