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JIMMY MOYAHA: Today, we delve into the world of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on education, particularly its potential to enhance discussions in the educational sphere. Joining me is Dr. Miné de Klerk, the dean of curricula and research at Eduvos, to shed light on how AI is transforming contemporary education.
Dr. de Klerk, it’s a pleasure to have you with us. Thank you for your time. AI has indeed prompted us to reconsider various facets of education. What changes has it introduced to the educational landscape?
DR MINÉ DE KLERK: AI has proven to be remarkably disruptive, but positively so. It has shifted our role from simply imparting knowledge to facilitating practical, real-world experiences. Rather than assessing students based solely on perfect outcomes, we now highlight the significance of the learning journey.
This is vital because while AI can produce flawless responses, our goal is to ensure that students exhibit the real-world skills desired by future employers, which is a more complex evaluation. It’s been quite a journey, and in many respects, a beneficial one.
JIMMY MOYAHA: Dr. de Klerk, how should we approach the use of AI in higher education? There’s been considerable discussion regarding AI’s potential misuse to bypass traditional learning methods, yet you’ve also pointed out the opportunities it offers.
How should institutions, educators, and students reframe their perspectives on AI to maintain our capacity for human judgment?
DR MINÉ DE KLERK: First and foremost, we need to acknowledge that AI is here to stay. Expecting students to abstain from utilizing AI is unrealistic; it is embedded in their smartphones and various digital tools. That’s the first takeaway.
Secondly, AI has dramatically reshaped career trajectories. We are no longer preparing students for a single profession—such as law or accountancy—but rather adjusting the skill sets required for various roles.
This shift in awareness directs our attention toward learning. According to the World Economic Forum, future in-demand jobs are likely to include data specialists and fintech engineers—positions we may not have contemplated in our own educational experiences. Yet, traditional jobs, like farming, persist, now incorporating tools like satellite imagery and AI-driven weather analysis.
So, are we equipping our students to approach fields like agriculture with a technology-oriented mindset? While the demand for nurses continues, will they employ AI tools for patient monitoring? It’s essential to ensure that human nurses retain their clinical and interpersonal judgment.
We are entering an exciting mix of soft and hard skills, allowing students to pursue non-linear career paths. They may have multiple careers and job titles that we have yet to envision. This means we must prepare them to be flexible, adaptable, ethical, and values-driven. Our mission in higher education is to tackle this challenge alongside them.
JIMMY MOYAHA: Dr. de Klerk, you raised the topic of ethical and responsible usage. I’d like to hear your views on the role of academia, educational institutions, and parents in promoting ethical technology use in our daily lives.
DR MINÉ DE KLERK: This is a compelling question, as it highlights our collective responsibility. Often, we regard AI misuse and academic integrity as solely student-related issues, focusing on monitoring their behavior.
However, the South African Department of Communications and Digital Technologies recently learned a crucial lesson regarding AI and ethics. In April 2026, they retracted a national AI policy after uncovering 67 fictitious, AI-generated references in the document. The irony here is striking: while there is significant intent behind AI governance, the essential task of verifying sources was overlooked.
From this, we derive two critical lessons. First, AI outputs can seem very authoritative, even after passing through various review processes. Second, having a position of authority does not protect anyone from AI errors. This underscores the ethical challenges we face.
We must acknowledge that these tools can be fallible and may misuse personal and sensitive data. This isn’t just a student issue; students want to use AI ethically, and we need ongoing dialogue with them.
Let’s rigorously assess AI outputs. Are we verifying sources sufficiently, and do they reflect our local context or merely data from the Global North? Do they depend on sensitive information? Continuously addressing these questions is essential. It’s not only a student matter; our educators also need to cultivate AI literacy and engage with its ethical implications.
Even leading AI companies are struggling with this issue—consider Anthropic, the organization behind Claude, which recently indicated that we may need to pause AI development due to the difficulties in managing these systems.
We have to navigate this landscape together, viewing our students as partners in this conversation rather than merely trying to catch them out.
JIMMY MOYAHA: Indeed, artificial intelligence is here to stay. If we wish for it to advance education, we must adopt an ethical and sustainable approach to preserve the integrity of future generations.
We’ll wrap up our discussion on that note. Thank you, Dr. Miné de Klerk, the dean of curricula and research at Eduvos, for sharing your insights on the role of artificial intelligence in today’s education.
Brought to you by Eduvos.
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