Hong Kong school heads set to embrace AI in the classroom despite some concerns

Education chief asks teachers to be cautious when bringing AI in classrooms

YMCA of HK Christian College principal Diana Lo said: “I think there are a lot of questions. There were some uncertainties, and I’m not sure what AI [could] bring to the field of education.”

In some cases, uncertainty ballooned into fear or mistrust, as described by Francis Kwan, principal of Ying Wa Girls’ School. He worried that students would abuse AI tools like ChatGPT to take shortcuts on assignments.

“As principal, many people say that teachers need to be aware if students are handing in their assignments with ChatGPT and [students would have to] show that they did it on their own,” he explained.

Throughout the forum, the esteemed keynote speakers and panellists addressed these inherent issues, including the potential for plagiarism, a decline in critical thinking skills and concerns about AI bias. Shirla Sum, principal of Victoria Shanghai Academy, said it is critical to teach students how to use AI software appropriately because “AI is not going away”.

“There was a lot of discussion on academic dishonesty [during the forum],” she said. “At the end of the day, we want students to be ethical global citizens in the real world and also the virtual world. As educators, we must guide them along this journey … [because] we want them to be able to make these judgments on a daily basis.”

While the principals acknowledged the drawbacks, each admitted that the conversations within the Principals’ Forum opened their eyes to the future of AI in schools and the workplace. For instance, Kwan said he realised that using AI at his school would set up students to thrive in their careers.

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“I am very impressed because the SCMP invited a lot of people outside the education sector so we could learn [that] we need to embrace AI because it’s used in healthcare, the textile industry, and the film industry,” he said.

“As a principal, I changed my mind because I don’t just look at it as students handing in their writing assignments [using ChatGPT]; it’s preparing students for the future in different aspects of society.”

While the principals are more receptive to AI at school, Lo recognised it’s not simply an act of installing software. Rather, staff and teachers would need instruction on how to use AI in the classroom, and there would need to be a discussion on ethical practices. Her concerns stemmed from the logistics of undertaking this time-consuming endeavour.

“As some of the speakers shared, teachers may not understand what AI is and how it can help them in teaching and learning,” she explained. “One of the challenges is finding time in the routine of teaching, learning, and catching up with the syllabus. [We need to figure out] how the school can create time for teachers to learn new things.”

Lo pointed out that the topic of AI use at a given school is a nuanced issue that requires thoughtful consideration. Still, she felt more open to the idea.

But, as each of the three principals acknowledged, the Principals’ Forum inspired them to look into adopting AI for their schools because, despite the various roadblocks and challenges, the technology is here to stay.