Online Reporter
Obey Musiwa-Herald Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Open University has certified 78 educators under its pioneering AI for Educators Programme, marking a major milestone in the country’s drive to modernise classrooms and align teaching with Vision 2030 and the Heritage-Based Education 5.0.
The graduation ceremony, held in Harare yesterday, highlighted how artificial intelligence is reshaping education, while keeping teachers at the centre of learning.
Speaking at the ceremony, Permanent Secretary for Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Professor Fanuel Tagwira, said AI is a support tool designed to empower teachers rather than replace them.
He said the programme aligns with the country’s modernisation agenda and Vision 2030.
“AI is a technological force for socio-economic transformation,” he said, stressing its role in enhancing lesson planning, personalised learning and inclusive classrooms.
“The role of the teacher remains central in shaping responsible, ethical, and productive citizens, a principle rooted in Ubuntu.”
ZOU Vice Chancellor Professor Emeritus Paul Gundani highlighted the university’s commitment to producing graduates who are both technologically proficient and ethically grounded.
He described AI as a tool of empowerment that must be guided by cultural values, citing the Zimbabwe National AI Strategy.
“Developing a digitally fluent population is essential for leveraging AI’s potential for inclusive growth and sustainable development.
“AI is a tool of empowerment and a catalyst for inclusive growth and a guardian of our cultural values and ethics,” he said.
One of the graduating educators, Gift Dumbarumwe, shared his personal journey of overcoming fear and embracing AI.
He said the programme transformed both his confidence and teaching practices.
“Before this course, I even feared that AI might one day leave me jobless . . . my students were always ahead digitally, and that gap tampered with my confidence.
“We learned how AI tools can dramatically reduce time spent on lesson planning, report generation, and student performance monitoring.
“I left not just with new knowledge, but with confidence to experiment and adapt AI tools in my own teaching,” he said.
I think there is need to fully understanding of what AI is and what it does for humans. AI in education is simply a lazy way of accomplishing tasks leaving teachers and students alike feeling proud of work that they don’t perform. The net effect is poorly developed mental capacity in individuals that eventually relies on machines to think. The sad state of affairs is that using AI tools creates “clever” idiots. When one is deemed to have become an AI educator, what will one have done? AI tools are already developed and are “thinking” tools that “teach”. So what does an AI educator do?