Education
Education Under the Shadow of AI: A Future Without Teachers and Books?
Education is not just changing the contents of the head, but lighting the light in the soul.
AS ARTIFICIAL intelligence (AI) reshapes our world, education stands at a crossroads. Once envisioned as a tool to support learning, AI is now on the verge of redefining — and potentially eroding — the very foundations of human education. Books are being harvested for data, teachers are being sidelined, and students rely more on algorithms than reflection. The question looms: are we still educating people, or are we letting machines take over the role of education itself?
AI, particularly generative models like ChatGPT and Gemini, now dominate the academic habits of students. From writing essays to summarizing texts and solving problems, these tools offer instant assistance. But this convenience comes with a cost. When students rely on machines to answer questions, they bypass the essential process of learning — the struggles, discussions, and critical thinking that develop understanding and character.
One stark example lies in how AI models are trained. According to reports, millions of books — including copyrighted ones — have been used without permission to feed these algorithms. These texts, once seen as vessels of wisdom and cultural memory, are now mere data points in statistical models. This shift not only undermines intellectual property rights but also reduces books to soulless inputs for machines.
This mechanization of knowledge mirrors the erosion of educational depth. A 2024 study by Times Higher Education found that over 60% of university students in Southeast Asia had used AI tools to complete academic work. In Indonesia, internal campus surveys show that more than 40% of students used ChatGPT to write papers without approval. The 2023 UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report warns that unchecked tech use in classrooms erodes critical thinking and worsens learning inequality.
Indeed, Indonesia’s reading literacy remains low. In the 2022 PISA rankings, the country placed 71st out of 81 nations. Only 1 in 1,000 Indonesians are regular book readers, according to the National Library. This situation is exacerbated by the rise of AI: when knowledge is just a click away, students skip the reflective depth that comes from reading or engaging with teachers. They chase answers, not understanding.
Meanwhile, national education policy struggles to keep pace. The Merdeka Curriculum introduced by the Ministry of Education encourages creative, project-based learning. However, it lacks sufficient emphasis on ethical digital literacy, especially concerning AI. There are no national modules that teach how AI works, its risks, or how to use it responsibly. This leaves students vulnerable to misinformation and teachers without guidance.
Legally, the education system has yet to acknowledge AI’s presence. Indonesia’s education laws, including the current revisions to the National Education System Act, make no mention of AI. There are no ethical frameworks or usage guidelines, leaving schools to navigate this new frontier blindly. As a result, AI is often misused — even trusted more than textbooks or teachers, despite being prone to errors or ethical blind spots.
The danger here is not just academic. It threatens Indonesia’s 2045 vision of becoming a prosperous, developed nation powered by a young, productive population. If the youth of today become passive tech users without critical thinking, moral awareness, or creativity, the so-called “demographic bonus” could turn into a demographic liability.
Teachers and books are more than content providers. They shape values, ignite imagination, and nurture empathy — things AI cannot replicate. Without them, education risks becoming mechanical, sterile, and stripped of humanity.
Thus, a shift is needed. First, digital and AI ethics must be integrated into the national curriculum. Second, educational regulations must address AI use, safeguard intellectual property, and support teachers as ethical guides. Third, reading culture must be revived — in schools, families, and communities — to keep the spirit of learning alive.
Education is not about filling minds with data but shaping humans with wisdom. Technology must serve that mission, not replace it. A future without teachers and books is not progress — it is the unraveling of civilization itself.
* Payamta, Observer of Social and Economic Issues, University of Sebelas Maret (UNS), Surakarta
Education reporter
Hayley Clarke / BBCSchool children are getting less meat, cheaper ingredients and smaller portions in their lunches as caterers battle rising costs, the new chair of a school food organisation has said.
Michael Hales, incoming chair of LACA, said schools were increasingly having to bridge the gap between government funding for free school meals and the rising cost of delivering dinner for all of their pupils.
It comes after the government said it would expand free school meals, which Mr Hales said was “welcome”, but added that more funding would be “essential”.
The Department for Education (DfE) said the “fully funded” expansion of free school meals was a “historic step to tackle the stain of child poverty”.
A spokesperson added the government would keep the meal rates paid to schools, which fund free school meals, under review.
In April, the government said those rates would rise by 3p in the next academic year, from £2.58 to £2.61 per meal – a rise which Mr Hales said was “inadequate” and “almost considered an insult”.
He said it meant caterers who were part of LACA and provided about three million school dinners a day, were having to make “really difficult decisions” over portion sizes, and the quality of ingredients they could afford.
He said it was becoming an “ever increasing challenge” to meet the government’s school food standards, which officials said they were looking to “revise” with input from sector experts.
In Stoke-on-Trent, head teacher Clare Morton said she was spending £45,000 per year topping up the money she received from the government to pay for free school meals.
That money could be spent on another member of staff at St Mary’s Primary School, she said, but added it was vitally important all the children were well fed.
“For a lot of our children, this is the only hot meal that they will get during the day,” she said.
“Without healthy food, without a full tummy, these children won’t be able to learn.”
Hayley Clarke / BBCIn England, the government will pay primary schools £2.61 per meal in 2025-26 to deliver its universal infant free school meals scheme, which makes all children from reception up to Year 2, regardless of household income, eligible for a free school dinner.
After Year 2, primary and secondary schools also get additional pupil premium funding from government for each of their pupils who gets a free school meal. Currently, children qualify for a free school meal if their family is on Universal Credit and earns under £7,400 a year.
In June, the government announced that it would be changing that eligibility criteria to make all children whose families are on Universal Credit, regardless of household income, eligible for a free school meal from September 2026.
The change would mean 500,000 more children qualify for a free school meal, the government said.
Ms Morton said it was “fantastic” more children would be eligible, but added the government “needs to acknowledge that there’s a gap between what the school are actually getting and how much it costs to feed the children”.
Currently, the money her school needs to fund that gap is supported by 72 parents who pay for their child’s school meal. As the free school meals scheme expands and more children become eligible, that income will be “wiped out”, she said.
The government’s 3p meal rate increase “really isn’t enough” to make up any of the school’s £45,000 food deficit, she added.
Mr Hales said a recent survey of its members suggested the real cost of delivering a meal was actually more like £3.45 – roughly 80p more than the £2.61 given to schools to fund free school meals in England.
LACA said it sent its annual cost of living survey to 500 members. The 67 who responded said they catered for a total of 5,689 schools with a total pupil population of roughly 1.3 million. Overall, England has approximately 24,000 state schools with an overall pupil population of just over nine million.
Ann Gannon / BBCOf the 67 schools, councils and private catering firms who responded to the LACA survey:
- 17 said they had decreased some portion sizes
- 35 said they had cut some menu options
- 38 said they had reduced some meats with cheaper protein sources
- 56 said they had adjusted their recipes
LACA said its survey also suggested that, since March 2020, the amount paid for school dinners by parents whose children were not eligible for free school meals had increased by 20%.
Mr Hales said that could continue to rise if schools were unable to meet rising costs with increased government funding.
Mum-of-three Mandy Mazliah, from Cambridgeshire, said she had concerns about the nutritional value of her children’s school dinners.
The 45-year-old, who runs a food blog and is a parent ambassador for a children’s food campaign, said her children, aged between 10 and 15, have a mix of packed lunches and dinners provided for them at school.
She said the school food could vary between healthy, balanced meals and pizzas, cookies and donuts, and in some cases portion sizes had been getting smaller.
“What we need is proper investment from the government in healthy school meals, and in fact a whole school food approach to make it more affordable for schools to provide nutritious, appealing, healthy food for all of our children,” she added.
Trish PetersProvision of free school meals varies significantly across the UK.
In London and Wales, the offer of a universal free school meal has been extended to all primary school children up to Year 6.
Although the funding rate for most of England is £2.61, in London schools get a higher rate of £3. In Wales, the rate is £3.20.
In Scotland, all children in the first five years of primary school are eligible for free school meals, as well as all children from families receiving the Scottish Child Payment benefit.
Parents in Northern Ireland can apply if they receive certain benefits and are below an income threshold of £15,000.
Additional reporting by Rahib Khan
July 9, 2025
SINGAPORE – Young people need to develop strong judgment, reasoning abilities and foundational knowledge, even as artificial intelligence (AI) tools are able to perform both mundane and complex tasks, said Minister for Education Desmond Lee.
AI cannot supplant learning – it must enable it, he said to the media on July 8 at Oasis Primary School in Punggol, in his first school visit since his appointment as education minister.
Other key priorities for the Ministry of Education (MOE) include helping students develop social and emotional skills and effect a “generational shift” away from competition based on grades and towards a passion for learning.
Mr Lee cited the example of how AI could help young lawyers draft submissions, but only those with proper training and experience are able to assess and improve on the AI output.
“You can tell what is right, what is wrong. What is real and what is not, and what is right for your situation,” he said.
To this end, Mr Lee said it is important to prepare children for an AI-pervasive future, while also fostering in them curiosity and social-emotional skills.
This would first require the age-appropriate use of AI in classrooms and teaching children about what AI is and its limits.
With social and emotional skills becoming increasingly important – not just in school, but also in workplaces and the wider community – this is another area of focus for MOE.
Mr Lee said: “All these social-emotional skills can be more important than just your academic hard knowledge.”
These include compassion, expressing oneself appropriately, navigating challenging environments and being able to self-regulate and empathise with others.
At Oasis Primary School, Mr Lee observed Primary 4 English and art lessons that demonstrated how the school integrates social-emotional skills into these subjects.
During the English lesson, pupils used the popular young adult book Wonder – about a boy with facial deformities – as a springboard to share how they would feel if they faced discrimination.
For the art lesson, pupils worked in groups to come up with a superhero logo based on values.
Mr Lee said such approaches bring lessons to life.
“It doesn’t just give our children the foundation in the subject, but also uses the opportunity to get them to think critically, think thoughtfully, to engage with classmates and to think about how they relate to people who are different from themselves,” he said.
By including group work, these activities go beyond nurturing individual creativity, and encourages pupils to collaborate and share ideas with each other, he added.
“You can see leadership in action. You see collaboration in action, cooperation, give and take and also working towards a product that is bigger than the sum of the individual parts. So that was very encouraging,” the minister said.
On MOE’s efforts to shift away from an emphasis on competition around grades so that students can develop a lifelong passion for learning, he said: “It will take time, and we require three parties to play a part – our pre-schools, primary schools as well as our parents.”
Another key area is how schools can better partner with the community to support children from more challenging backgrounds, such as those whose families are beneficiaries of ComLink+, a scheme to support lower-income households.
Likening the approach to a triangle comprising housing, education and jobs and skills, Mr Lee said these areas are where these families need help.
“I think it will give them a better shot in achieving stability, self-reliance and, ultimately, social mobility.”
Mr Lee said there is a need to strengthen the transition from pre-school to primary school, especially through MOE kindergartens. PHOTO: THE STRAITS TIMES
Visiting the MOE Kindergarten (MK) located at Oasis Primary School, Mr Lee also said there is a need to strengthen the transition from pre-school to primary school, especially through MKs.
“Our pre-school landscape is diverse and rich, and we are the better off for it. But MKs allow an opportunity to test-bed ideas for us to be able to look at enhancements to pre-school pedagogies,” he said.
He noted that many parents appreciate MKs sitting within primary schools, as many pre-schoolers go on to attend primary schools near their homes.
Madam Nur Liyana Saine, 38, whose daughter Faiha Fatiha, eight, had moved from MK@Oasis to Primary 1 in the same school, said the child’s familiarity with the environment made the move easier.
Mathematics and science teacher Nur Liyana Saine at Oasis Primary School, with her daughter Faiha Fatiha. PHOTO: THE STRAITS TIMES
“She knew what to expect, like where to go during morning flag-raising and reading time, because she had experienced it in MK,” said Madam Liyana, who is a mathematics and science teacher at Oasis Primary School.
“For a six-year-old, big spaces like the school hall can be intimidating. But because she had been there for events like Chinese New Year celebrations, it felt familiar,” she added.
The MK programme was started in 2014 to provide quality pre-school education that is affordable to Singaporeans. Among other goals, it aims to “encourage bilingualism in the early years and help lay a strong foundation for language learning in the later years”, the ministry had said previously.
An MOE spokesperson said the ministry plans to open 60 MKs by 2029.
After observing mother tongue lessons at MK@Oasis, Mr Lee reiterated that bilingualism remains a key strength for Singapore and that early exposure to mother tongue languages is crucial.
“It gives us a cultural ballast and richness in our identity. And from a utilitarian, pragmatic point of view, it connects us with the region and the world,” he said.
He added that as a largely English-speaking environment, schools must be deliberate in supporting the use of mother tongue languages.
“When you start young, we have a better chance of that following us all through life.”
The demand for AI competency is growing fast across many industries, but nowhere faster than in teaching, some experts say, because educators must lay the groundwork of professional knowledge for every other sector. At the ISTELive 25 conference in San Antonio last week, a panel of professors and consultants said professional development (PD) for teachers should include knowledge of AI content, technology and pedagogy, as well as specific examples for implementation and familiarity with related research.
Moderating the discussion, Nancye Blair Black, CEO of the educational consulting firm The Block Uncarved, said she was part of the ISTE AI in Education Preparation Program that collected ideas on this topic from various universities. The group realized that what teacher training programs most needed to prioritize fell into three overlapping categories that aligned with the TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) framework, an educational model popularized in the 2000s: content knowledge, such as AI literacy and learning about AI; technical knowledge, including AI fluency and knowing how to use the tools; and pedagogical knowledge, which is understanding the teacher’s responsibilities and how to adjust pedagogical practices accordingly.
Stacy George, an assistant professor from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, described the ideal approach to AI in teacher training as being “a cautious advocate with a moral compass.”
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
Amy Eguchi, an associate teaching professor from the University of California, San Diego, said teachers must learn how AI — and not just generative AI — works, which means their training must include elements of computer science.
To do this, Eguchi recommended AI4K12.org, which outlines a handful of big ideas in AI, and stressed that AI literacy for primary and secondary educators involves teaching them to engage with, create with, manage and design AI.
TECHNOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE
On the subject of technological knowledge, Black emphasized the importance of making sure preservice and in-service teachers are proficient not just with their own personal uses of AI, but specifically with the tools they’re likely to use in class. And that’s likely to mean different lessons for teachers in different grade levels.“It could be that you’re in the elementary level, and your students are using i-Ready or Khan Academy, and AI is doing that personalized learning and adaptive assessment. Then [the teachers] need to understand how that tool works and how to use it safely, ethically and proficiently,” she said. “Similarly, they might need strategies for effectively and efficiently reviewing the transcripts of students’ conversations with chatbots. A lot of people, especially at the middle and senior high level, are now bringing AI tutors in, but it is the burden of the teacher, the responsible AI piece, to review those conversations to make sure the content is right. We have to teach that skill.”
Black added that most teachers will need to know how to use Teachable Machine, a web-based tool for creating machine learning models, and may need new key skills such as prompt engineering or problem formulation.
PEDAGOGICAL KNOWLEDGE
George said that getting teachers to update their pedagogical approach to incorporate AI will start with professional development. She cited research showing that teachers often take whatever instructional models they experienced in PD into their own classrooms.
“There’s research that supports this adage that we teach how we were taught, but AI has only recently filtered into our educational systems, and it’s transforming our society,” she said. “Our preservice teachers are going to become leaders in that classroom one day. So AI is getting our preservice teachers to not just be consumers of AI, it’s really getting them to think and use AI ethically and effectively.”
George said that might take a little reframing, illustrating how new and improved practices may involve new ethical considerations, such as data privacy, and new potential risks, such as cognitive decline.
INFUSE AI COMPETENCIES INTO TEACHER PREP
Black then moved on to seven critical strategies developed by the ISTE AI in Education Preparation Program to guide training teachers on AI:
- Foster a universal foundational understanding of AI.
- Teach them skills for effectively harnessing AI tools for instruction.
- For AI literacy education, use national frameworks such as the Five Big Ideas in AI.
- Have them test and explore AI tools in ways that develop and apply their knowledge.
- Infuse AI literacy across existing curricula.
- Include critical examinations of AI tools in both K-12 classroom experiences and teacher preparation.
- Intentionally include the above in teacher preparation.
Offering examples of how she does this, Longwood University assistant professor Alecia Blackwood said she starts college freshmen on basic AI literacy and ethics, proceeds with juniors on AI in disciplinary literacy and ethics, and finally teaches seniors about AI for instructional design, creating ethical guidelines, and using specific tools and building AI chatbots.
For course-level syllabus integration, Sue Kasun, a member of the education faculty at Georgia State University, recommended the GAI2N GenAI Integration Navigator, a 28-page set of guidelines for deciding whether, when and how to integrate GenAI into a course.
Camille Dempsey, an education technology professor at Pennsylvania Western University, stressed the importance of institutional movement and building a culture of AI readiness. She said this happens through one-on-one interactions and not being afraid of difficult conversations.
“I find myself telling a lot of stories, which I think is another great strategy — not pushing people into this, but maybe inviting them to see what kinds of things we’re all doing,” she said. “I also thought it was pretty important to get our students involved, so we started an AI ambassador program … and I took everyone that applied. There were 36 students — undergrad, graduate and doctoral students, we had the whole range. Those students now … are on the schedule for this fall, and there will be some next spring, to teach some of the professional development to faculty as well as other students on their perceptions of what they’re learning about AI.”
OVERRELIANCE AND COGNITIVE DECLINE
In closing, Black cited recent MIT research showing that an overreliance on AI, especially in young people, can negatively affect memory and cognition.
“We have to somehow combat that, and we need teachers to have their minds on,” she said. “There’s also research coming out that’s saying, ‘But when the AI is actually a thought partner that’s giving feedback and prompting reflection, learning increases.’ So it’s really important that we teach these tools in ways that are actually beneficial to students.”
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