Ghanaian educational institutions must urgently adopt structured and supervised artificial intelligence in teacher preparation to prevent technology from dictating pedagogy, a leading academic has warned.
Speaking at the National Conference of Principals of Colleges of Education (PRINCOF), the AI Coordinator at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof Eric Appau Asante, highlighted that student adoption of AI tools is rapidly outpacing the readiness of educational bodies. He urged teacher-training institutions to develop deliberate, research-informed approaches rather than treating the technology as an optional addition.
Delivering an address on “Transforming Research-Based Teacher Education in Ghana in the Era of Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities, Challenges and the Future of Teacher Preparation in Ghana,” Prof Appau Asante stated that the integration of these tools must strictly align with the National Teachers’ Standards and the National Teacher Education Curriculum Framework.
“The teacher that we have already said Ghana wants to produce, how can AI strengthen that teacher? Those in school, those we want to produce, the destination is very important,” he told participants gathered under the conference theme, “Transforming Research-Based Teacher Education in Ghana in the Era of Artificial Intelligence.”
“If we introduce AI without reference to the National Teachers’ Standards and the National Teacher Education Curriculum Framework, I think we risk allowing technology to drive pedagogy.”
Prof Appau Asante cautioned that the fundamental issue facing educators is no longer whether to permit AI, but deciding how to control its application within the classroom.
“AI adoption amongst our students is already ahead of our institutional preparedness, and therefore our choice is not between AI or not, but between seeing an improvised, invisible AI use in the student, or we going for structured, supervised, research-informed use of AI,” he said.
Outlining a future shift in classroom dynamics, he envisaged a model where educators move beyond standard information delivery to act as designers, evaluators, and mentors in the learning process.
To achieve this transformation, he called for clear institutional frameworks and urged colleges to embed AI competencies directly into their core curricula rather than relying on isolated training workshops.
“Every institution needs an AI policy. It must align with the frameworks we have talked about,” he said.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana