Online Reporter
Nyore Madzianike-Senior Reporter
VICE President Dr Kembo Mohadi has urged learners to embrace artificial intelligence as a supportive learning tool, while cautioning that it must not replace originality, critical thinking, creativity and hard work.
The future, he said, belongs to young people who are able to innovate, adapt and develop practical solutions to societal challenges, stressing that technology should enhance rather than diminish human intellectual capacity.
VP Mohadi made the remarks while officiating at the National Sustainable Development Goals Schools Essay Writing Competition Awards ceremony in Harare last night.
“Technologies such as artificial intelligence offer enormous opportunities for learning and development,” he said. “However, these technologies must complement, not replace, their originality, critical thinking, creativity and hard work.”
VP Mohadi challenged the learners to become ambassadors for sustainable development within schools, homes and communities. “Let your action reflect the values of responsibility, environmental stewardship, inclusivity and service to the citizens of the world,” he said.
Government remains committed to equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and opportunities needed to contribute meaningfully to national development, VP Mohadi added.
He also said education remains a key driver of social transformation and equality.
“We firmly believe that education is one of the most powerful tools for transforming societies, reducing inequalities and unlocking the full potential of our citizens,” he said.
The VP welcomed the broad participation in the competition, including learners from rural areas and those with disabilities, saying it reflected the country’s commitment to inclusivity and the principle of leaving no one behind.
“The scale of this year’s competition is indeed commendable,” he said.
The competition attracted more than 30 500 learners nationwide, a significant increase from 4 000 last year.
At national level, 18 outstanding winners were recognised, while hundreds more were honoured at provincial and district levels. “These figures represent more than participation statistics. They symbolise a generation of young Zimbabweans who are actively engaging with development challenges and offering innovative solutions that can contribute to national progress,” he said.
Cde VP, kindly explain how AI can be used as a supportive tool in education and learning? Asking AI to assist is akin to being shown an answer to a math problem and then pretend to work it out. As a research expert in AI, I humbly submit to you Cde VP, AI cannot be used as an educational supporting tool. I cannot see how being shown answers to questions helps develop analytical skills of any individual. While the theoretic concept of Education 5.0 is very attractive, it’s implementation is unhelpful and potentially disastrous to next generations. We should be very careful when we encourage people to embrace digi-technoloy that we don’t have full knowledge of.