AI IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN UNEQUAL EDUCATION SYSTEM
“ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)”
South Africa is a country with many worlds where there are the poor and Black nations, few rich politically connected Black elites, and crony capitalists’ beneficiaries. There are genuine and industrious rich but few Black people and majority of rich white people. White people are filthy rich despite being a minority group in South Africa. They own all the means of capitalist economy, which is the entire wealth accumulated through colonisation and apartheid capitalism. The post-apartheid democratic South Africa had failed to create an equal society and education system from the apartheid unequal society and education system. The previously white schools or “model C’s” schools are fully developed and well-resourced with all amenities like sports centres and technologically equipped classes.
The well-resourced political connected, genuine, and hard working rich Black people, and the middle class (the so-called black diamonds) parents take their schools out of the townships and villages because of the inadequate resources and the perceived mediocre quality of education. Schools in Black township and rural areas are under-resources in terms of physical infrastructure, sports amenities, and technological infrastructure. The previously white schools have big financial muscles from big white men’s mega business communities than the townships and village primary and high schools.
The South African higher education landscape is still the same from the apartheid era universities and colleges where white universities were well resourced to advance the life and the wellbeing of the minority white nation. The Black nation had under-resourced university system in terms of infrastructure and resources which was only meant to produce a pool of Black labourers for a white man’s economy, the white man’s garden and his or her kitchen. The education system was designed to put the Black population underdeveloped so that they can better serve the white man’s lavish life and lifestyle. Thus, one always hears of historically white universities and historically Black universities. The African National Congress led government (the so-called leader of the society until the 2025 National General Elections) failed to address the disparities between historically Black education system and historically white universities.
GENERATIVE AI REVOLUTION
This article argues that the Black child’s future is in jeopardy because of the historically unequal society during colonisation and apartheid and the lack of the implementation of the ANC’s progressive policies which are good on paper but rich in failure in their implementation. Historically Black schools and mostly the ones in poor rural areas and historically Black universities in the former homelands and townships lags in terms or Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and AI softwares and their applications, including associated gadgets.
The question is as follows: How will a school invest in Generative AI and or ICT infrastructure while using pit toilets and burying poor Black children who die annually inside the pit toilets? The school children are poor with no uniforms and nutritional food from their homes. Others die while crossing rivers and poorly built bridges during rainy seasons while attending primary and high schools. Black universities cannot invest in AI or ICT revolution in a pace needed to compete in the global world. The universities had dilapidated infrastructure, lack of lecture halls, resourced computer centres and students’ residences. This a valid and worrying concern. Many university lecturers may not be adequately equipped with the skills and technologies needed to effectively integrate AI into their teaching practices. The reliance on outdated tools like Turnitin can be problematic, as they may not be sufficient to detect AI-generated content.
Historically Black universities face challenges of poor ICT and AI knowledge systems from the older generation of academics (old school lectures). This means that poor students will never have an opportunity to use ICT and the AI to advance their education and knowledge skills. There are no financial muscles for Black schools and universities to invest more in modern technologies like their counter parts in white schools and universities. Academics and teachers in Black schools may not even have the ability and the opportunity to gain experience advanced educational technologies because of lack of resources and poor technogical network connections problems in rural areas. These ICT related technologies, mostly AI is advancing at the greater pace which will make it difficult for the poor Black child and their teachers and academics to catch up and empower a Black child.
The unequal society and educational system will still perpetuate inequalities, unemployment, and poverty amongst the children of the previously disadvantaged Black children. The work force of tomorrow must be equipped with advanced technogical skills and to become the great workforce for the future. AI driven technologies is the future, and it is undisputable. All these advances are just leaving the Black child in a limbo.
Academics and teachers in most rural areas do not have access to these advanced technologies. Some middle-class families in rural areas and townships may and will have access to these advanced technologies because of their parents’ bigger financial muscles. These may be ten or less than twenty learners in one high school of three hundred learners. Black universities may be well better off than primary and secondary schools in terms of the exposure of the academics and students to ICT and AI advanced technologies.
The main challenge for Black schools and universities may be that, are they ready to manage the abuse of AI by student who may commit academic dishonesty in their academic projects and research by ICT and AI savvy learners and students. This opinion piece doubt that such skills exist, or such technologies have been sourced by most historically Black universities and schools. This will lead to mediocre quality of the qualifications because they will lack quality and integrity. The detection and the prevention of ICT and AI means the production of the workforce of the future with proper ethics, skills, and knowledge.
The quick advancement of AI technologies may not bode well to rural and township schools in South Africa. Unless the government of the day create magic, which they are not capable of creating. The government of the day has cannot even manage a village post office. Where is South African Post Office today, I am sorry it has collapsed because of lack of implementation of progressive policies with the huge resources and the clientele to sustain the post office. Black universities and schools do not have financial muscles to manage the rapid transition to the Generative AI and other associated applications and latest tools and practices.
This opinion piece hesitates to indicate that teachers and academics at Black and rural schools and universities are ready to quickly adjust to change from the old traditional teaching and examinations practices to the new examination methods that must minimise integrity issues of academic dishonesty by learners and students. How old schoolteachers and academic will work around to detect AI generated academic projects and assignments. The article indicates never, not currently. This will lead to unfair advantage for students and learner with access to ICT and AI software and their applications.
The integration of AI in South African high schools and Black universities could indeed pose challenges, especially if educators and administrators lack the necessary skills and resources to manage AI effectively.
GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY INTERVENTIONS
The big businesses must invest more into the education system because they are the main beneficiaries of the educated and productive workforce which will come out of their investments. The government had a fiduciary and moral obligation to produce solutions to save the future and the betterment of the life of the Black child. There must be big investment in sourcing AI infrastructure for schools and provisioning of relevant AI skills to educators and administrators within the education systems.
The big investment is needed in advanced AI detection tools so that schools and universities have more advanced AI detection tools to help identify AI-generated content from the real arduous work produced by the student on his or her own. Educators and teachers must be empowered with correct AI applications to create advance examination methods that consider the use of AI tools and focus on critical thinking and critical thinking skills.
CONCLUSION
The lack of investment in AI technologies at Black schools and universities will perpetuate unequal society, unemployment, and poverty. It will increase inequalities in the South Africa’s already unequal education system. Sufficient skills empowerment of teachers and academics will assist them in integrating AI effectively and efficiently into their learning and teaching methods. It will also increase the quality of education in Black schools and universities.
Sufficient and proper investment in learner training on the use of Generative AI technologies will empower learners and students on how to effectively use AI tools. It will reduce the abuse of AI to commit academic dishonesty in their academic projects. It will also enhance the outcomes or results of their assessment outcomes. Thes interventions will minimise the knowledge gap in the Black learners and students. It will provide access to quality AI powered knowledge and education.
The government must quickly produce policies on how to address the challenges of Black schools and historically Black universities to accelerate the integration of AI in the education system. This must involve techniques of upskilling and AI literacy programs for academics and teachers to integrate AI in their learning and teaching methods.
Government and big business must design a public-private collaborations to mobilise resources to provide AI resources and expertise to support the effective integration of AI in an unequal education system in South Africa.
