No scope to fall behind in AI adoption: Education Minister

Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon has said artificial intelligence (AI) saves considerable time, but it cannot be used in every area. At the same time, there is no scope to fall behind in adopting the technology in response to the demands of the time.

“For example, in recruiting, promoting, evaluating or taking disciplinary action against teachers, it may not be possible to rely solely on automated systems,” he said.

He made the remarks while speaking at a session titled “Education in the Age of AI” during UNESCO’s Digital Learning Week 2026 in Paris, France, on Tuesday.

He said children in Bangladesh have weaknesses in foundational learning. Therefore, to safely reap the maximum benefits of AI, efforts must be made to strengthen their reading, reasoning and verification skills.

“To make children capable of using artificial intelligence effectively, we need to further develop their learning skills,” he said.

The minister also stressed the need to involve teachers before purchasing or introducing AI in any educational institution.

“Teachers must be involved in the piloting, procurement, evaluation and revision processes before AI is introduced at an institution,” he said.

He said AI is being widely used and gaining popularity around the world. However, its success should not be judged simply by the number of users, pilot projects or level of engagement.

“Bangladesh must evaluate AI based on learning outcomes, teachers’ workload, equity, safety and cost-effectiveness. At the same time, we must consider how and to what extent teachers can be involved with the technology,” he said.

Ministers and representatives from 25 countries participated in the session.

UNESCO’s Digital Learning Week 2026 is being held in Paris from 8 to 11 September. The theme of this year’s event is “Education in the Age of AI: Facts, Frictions, Frontiers".

The minister is scheduled to participate in a plenary session titled “Teachers at the Center: Agency, Competencies and the Teacher-Student Relationship” on Wednesday.