APEN advocates human-centred AI use as educators prepare for 2026 conference

She said educators needed to understand how to use the technology to improve efficiency while maintaining professional judgement and accountability.

“We realise how much easier it makes our lesson plans, how much easier it makes our curriculum development, our assessments and all the things we do,” she said.

She added that educators must find a balance that allows them to benefit from AI without abandoning their professional responsibilities.

“We need to leverage and find a balance where we will be able to use AI responsibly and build accountability,” Adewole said.

According to her, the conference will place greater emphasis on practical engagement, collaboration and activities that participants can apply in their schools.

She explained that this year will have a lot of masterclass and, practical activities and sessions.

“We are keeping a lot of our topics and activities very practical. Educators will leave with practical skills that they can immediately deploy as they go back into their school environment. The ultimate difference for this year is more emphasis on practical activities and more focus on what AI is all about,” she said.

Adewole also disclosed that eight sponsors had committed to the conference, with additional sponsorship expected. She added that students would participate from the first day, as they did at the previous edition.

Educators Urged to Protect Students’ Originality

Also speaking at the briefing, APEN board member and Director of Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, Olufunke Leila Fowler-Amba, said the speed of AI development and its impact on society informed the conference theme.

She stressed that the increasing use of AI should not diminish the importance of human judgement, creativity and responsibility in education.

Fowler-Amba said the focus was on placing people first while recognising the opportunities AI offers to improve efficiency.

“That is why we came up with human first, then there is AI coming that will create more efficiency, but at the same time, we need to learn how to use it efficiently and responsibly and with accountability,” she said.

She also urged educators to guide students on the appropriate use of AI in academic work, warning against allowing the technology to replace independent thinking and original expression.

“Educators need to pass a message to the students that though AI can assist and serve as a guideline for them, as a student, you need to develop whatever it is you are writing in your own words,” Fowler-Amba said.

She emphasised originality over perfection, noting that students needed to recognise the value of their own ideas and use AI to support their work rather than generate it entirely.

Her remarks highlighted a growing concern in education about maintaining academic integrity as students gain access to tools capable of generating written content and assisting with assignments.

For educators, the challenge is to help learners distinguish between using AI as a support tool and relying on it in ways that weaken their ability to think independently and express their own ideas.

Education Consultant Describes Theme As Timely

Education consultant Ola Opesan also described the conference theme as timely, pointing to ongoing debates about generative AI, its capabilities and the potential risks it presents to human society.

In an interview with Edugist after the press briefing, Opesan said discussions about how to detect AI-generated content had become increasingly important as the technology continued to develop.

He noted that efforts to identify AI-generated material often involve the use of AI-powered detection tools, raising questions about how reliably such systems can distinguish between human-written and machine-generated content.

Opesan also referred to automated systems used by websites to determine whether users are human, describing them as another example of technology being deployed to assess human activity.

His comments underscored the need for educators to understand both the capabilities and limitations of AI tools as they become more common in teaching, learning and assessment.

The conference is expected to provide a platform for educators and other stakeholders to examine these issues and consider how AI can be integrated into schools without compromising the human relationships, independent thinking and accountability that underpin education.

As schools navigate the opportunities and challenges presented by AI, APEN’s position is that educators should develop the skills to use the technology responsibly while ensuring that students remain active participants in their own learning.

ABOUT APEN

The Association of Private Educators in Nigeria, APEN, is a nonprofit organisation that represents the interests of private schools in Nigeria.

The association’s member schools vary greatly – some are large with over 2000 students, while others have fewer than 100 students in the entire school. However, no matter the size or affiliation, the association offer a platform for school promoters to connect, learn, and positively impact member schools.