In a forum in South Korea, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Thursday gave her insights on how the Philippine education sector can respond to the challenges of the 21st century.
Speaking at the 2023 Global Education and Innovation Summit (GEIS) in Seoul, Duterte cited these challenges including the disruption caused by the pandemic and the uncertainties of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).
“Education today must now exist side by side with technology, which continues to grow at an astoundingly rapid pace,” Duterte, quoted by reports, said.
Duterte added that children must be taught “how to differentiate truthful information from the untrue, to know what contributes to a learner’s development and what does not.”
“Critical thinking has become more important than ever,” she said.
She also cited how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the new generation of students.
“During the pandemic, most students in the Philippines had to stay at home for their education, and I believe this deprived them the ease and function of communicative learning… Further, the pandemic deprived many students of social interactions that are largely developed in school settings, which includes group work and collaboration,” Duterte said.
Speaking on technology, Duterte further said AI “evokes shame, evokes fear because of the unknown.”
“The advent of artificial intelligence will certainly create another paradigm shift in education. While this possibility will present newer and greater opportunities, it will also present many uncertainties in our vision of digital education,” she noted.
Duterte said countries must be responsive to the effects of technology in the educational systems.