The Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) has announced the launch of an ethical framework guiding the use of artificial intelligence in all private schools in the emirate.
The rules were created to meet the directives of the digital education plan and set standards for students, teachers, and administrators in different international curricula.
Related Stories
The Sharjah education authority says the new regulations seek to encourage the adoption of new technologies while preserving academic values and not undermining the role of teachers.
Homework Rules Enforce Mandatory AI Disclosure
The framework positions generative software like ChatGPT as a tool for aiding students instead of replacing their intellectual efforts on homework assignments.
Students are allowed to use such programs as brainstorming and analyzing tools, but SPEA requires that any work incorporating the use of such programs be disclosed as such.
Related Stories
Moreover, students and teachers must verify the information these programs provide in order to ensure that they are not bypassing the research process.
Strict Prohibition of AI Tools During Formal Examinations
SPEA guidelines strictly forbid the unauthorized use of AI software for formal academic evaluations, including examinations and official school assessments.
Related Stories
Any unauthorized use of such software during tests will be considered a direct violation of academic integrity guidelines by all private educational institutions.
Moreover, students must demonstrate personal understanding of the submitted topics, and teachers have the authority to conduct oral defenses in such cases if the use of artificial intelligence is suspected.
Safeguarding Student Privacy and Data Security
A big part of the new framework centers around making sure students feel safe about their data and that their information is kept private. Schools must make sure any third-party apps that use classroom AI don’t take or expose students’ personal information.
SPEA has instructed institutional IT teams to enforce strict content filters and ensure all software platforms adhere to UAE national cybersecurity and ethical standards.
Strengthening Human Oversight and Teacher Roles
SPEA Director of Curriculum and Assessment, Aisha Butti Al Ghafli said the framework focuses on keeping a human in the loop and harnessing the power of critical thinking, rather than relying on automated processes.
Teachers must instruct their pupils to be skeptical of the information delivered by these programs, able to trace back any presented facts to primary sources, and understand possible biases and inaccuracies that might be had from the systems.
The guidelines emphasize the importance of providing each student with individualized and differentiated instruction, but it is evident that technology will only play an auxiliary role in the class, leaving instructors as the true authorities in the room.
Parent Responsibility and Institutional Compliance
SPEA’S policy lays out specific and multifaceted roles for school boards, the information technology department, educators, and guardians in all private educational institutions within the emirate.
The family is responsible for maintaining awareness over children’s use of technology and encouraging academic integrity while doing homework and research on the premises.
Meanwhile, school administrations are updating their student honor codes and improving cybersecurity measures, and educators are receiving training on ethical AI utilization in the workplace.
Also Read: UAE Foils 750,000 Cyberattacks Targeting Energy and Education
