KUALA LUMPUR – A total of 329,414 teachers nationwide have received artificial intelligence (AI) training as the Education Ministry prepares to introduce AI literacy into the school curriculum next year.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the training was ongoing to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills to use AI safely and ethically.
She said preparing teachers was essential to ensure that no child was left behind as AI became more widely used in education.
“Teachers must not be left to face these changes without preparation. That is why we have ensured that training has been provided,” she said during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (Oct 29).
However, Fadhlina stressed that AI could not replace the fundamental role of teachers.
The ministry’s AI Literacy Guidelines, which came into force on May 8, emphasise the critical, safe and ethical use of the technology.
She said parents, school administrators, teachers, pupils and the wider community all had a responsibility to ensure AI was used safely.
Fadhlina was responding to a question from Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan (PN-Merbok) on the ministry’s plans to introduce AI literacy into the curriculum, including teacher training, digital facilities and student talent development to prepare pupils for future technological challenges and job requirements.
She said 1.5 million pupils had also been exposed to AI through school initiatives involving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), programming, robotics and digital innovation.
The ministry aims not only to teach pupils how to use existing technology but also to encourage them to develop their own ideas and innovations.
Fadhlina said children must not be left behind in the development of AI or become overly dependent on the Internet at the expense of independent thinking.
“Technology will continue to change, but the responsibilities of education remain unchanged,” she said, stressing the importance of teaching children to think critically, uphold human values and care for others.
On support for pupils who have yet to master reading, writing and arithmetic (3M), Fadhlina said the ministry was prioritising early intervention, with teachers providing support in the classroom, followed by learning matrices and programmes. –THE STAR