ARUSHA: Examination councils have been urged to invest in digital security, advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools to detect examination irregularities as technology transforms education assessment.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Prof Carolyne Nombo, said yesterday that AI was creating opportunities to improve teaching, learning and assessment while also introducing new risks to examination integrity.
Prof Nombo made the remarks when she opened the 42nd Annual Conference of the Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA) in Arusha on behalf of the Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Adolf Mkenda.
“AI should serve as an instrument for enhancing the quality and efficiency of educational assessment, not as a substitute for the professional judgment of educational specialists,” she said, stressing the need for ethics, transparency, data protection, fairness and inclusiveness.
Prof Nombo also urged African countries to develop their own experts and invest in homegrown AI technologies rather than becoming dependent on imported solutions.
She said AI was transforming teaching, learning, research and assessment, creating opportunities for timely feedback and improved assessment while presenting new challenges to examination security.
According to Prof Nombo, the government continues to invest in education, science, technology and innovation to develop a skilled workforce capable of supporting Tanzania’s transition to a digital and knowledge-based economy.
Meanwhile, the National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA) Executive Secretary, Prof Said Mohamed, said the council’s responsibility for examination security covered the entire examination cycle, from moderation, printing, packaging and transportation to distribution of examination papers, supervision, processing of results, awarding and certification.
He said NECTA relied on trusted examination officials to ensure examination centres met required standards and examinations were conducted securely and efficiently.
“These are highly trusted people with a strong background in educational practice, examination protocols, academic integrity, as well as high standards of security and confidentiality,” said Prof Mohamed.
He said examination officials were sometimes required to take decisive action against individuals involved in examination irregularities and academic dishonesty to protect the credibility of the country’s education system.
Prof Mohamed said education systems needed to urgently rethink their relationship with AI as the technology continued to reshape teaching, learning and assessment.
He described AI as a “paradigm shift” and a potential determinant of education quality, saying its development had raised fundamental questions about the future of education and assessment.
“In this conference, we are going to teach, to learn, to assess, to evaluate. We are going to think and rethink AI,” he said.
Prof Mohamed said the conference came at an important time for education assessment as technological developments, social media and AI continued to reshape the sector.
He noted that when Tanzania last hosted the conference, the technology landscape was significantly different, with platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and YouTube still at relatively early stages, while advanced AI applications were not yet widely used.
He said the current conference provided assessment experts with an opportunity to examine how emerging technologies could be incorporated responsibly into assessment systems while maintaining academic integrity.
Meanwhile, AEAA President Dr Eshetu Gichoro called for independent, technology-integrated and future-ready African assessment systems capable of responding to advances in AI.
Dr Gichoro said AI could support adaptive testing, predictive analysis and personalised learning, including expanding access to quality assessment in rural and marginalised communities.
However, he warned that Africa risked becoming dependent on imported technologies that might not reflect its educational realities.
“If Africa does not build its own independent technology-integrated assessment system, we risk becoming a consumer of imported models that neither reflect our realities nor serve our aspirations,” he said.
The conference attracted 2,352 delegates from 28 countries, providing a platform for education assessment experts, researchers and practitioners to exchange knowledge and strengthen collaboration.
