Rwanda is actively working to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and digital literacy into its national education system, according to the Ministry of Education.

This was noted during an X Spaces discussion hosted by The New Times on Wednesday, October 9, in which speakers shared insights into how Rwanda can raise an AI-savvy generation.

The speakers included Minister of Education Joseph Nsengimana, Nathalie Munyampenda, the CEO of Kepler College, Dorcas Rutunda, the Head of Expansion and Product Development at the hiring firm ITM Holding, with contribution from Minister of ICT and Innovation Paula Ingabire.

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Nsengimana emphasised the critical role of AI in shaping the future of education in Rwanda.

"Our national curriculum already provides for ICT as a subject and a tool for teaching and learning at all levels,” he said. "We actively promote digital literacy for both teachers and students. To date, we have trained over 20,000 primary teachers and 25,000 secondary teachers in using ICT in delivering courses.”

He said there were plans to incorporate AI directly into the curriculum, not only as a subject but as a tool to enhance learning.

"This year, we are reviewing the curriculum to incorporate AI, not only for teaching but also for usage in classrooms. For instance, tutoring bots could help students struggling with certain subjects by reinforcing their learning. The potential of AI to enhance education is enormous,” he explained.

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Efforts to improve access to AI technology, particularly in rural areas, remain a priority.

Minister Nsengimana said that the Ministry of ICT and the Ministry of Education are working together to connect all schools to the internet.

"By December, we hope the majority of schools will have internet access. In addition, we have introduced smart classrooms to expand the curriculum through digital tools,” he said.

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For Rutunda there is a need to "demystify” AI and make it more accessible.

"When people hear about AI, they often think of it as some general form of IT. But AI is more than just that, it includes anything from analysis to speech recognition, and even generative AI, like Chat-GPT. The key challenge is ensuring accessibility,” she said.

She stressed that schools must bridge the digital divide for students from households without digital devices or internet access.

"There’s a misconception that AI will replace teachers. But, in fact, AI can help teachers improve their lesson planning, speed up assessments, and pinpoint areas where students struggle,” she explained.

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, some schools in the country introduced AI systems to monitor attention spans and help assess whether students were absorbing material effectively.

Nsengimana said that AI should be seen as a supportive tool rather than a replacement for educators.

He underscored the importance of developing local AI models tailored to Rwanda’s unique needs.

"AI models are only as good as the data they are built on, and we cannot simply import these models. We need to build them ourselves, based on our own data, to ensure they are tailored to our needs,” he said, adding that there regulations are necessary to prevent potential harm that may result from us of AI tools and systems.

Munyampenda emphasised the need to teach critical thinking alongside AI literacy.

"We need to guide students to understand the technology and its algorithms. It’s not just about letting technology do the work, we have to ensure our children continue to think critically,” she explained.

These efforts aim to prepare students for a future dominated by new and emerging technologies while addressing challenges of accessibility and inclusiveness, particularly in sectors like healthcare, agriculture, finance, and education.

The government is also making progress in developing AI tools in Kinyarwanda. ICT Minister Ingabire said that the government is working with companies like Digital Umuganda to develop a large language model (LLM) in Kinyarwanda.

"Accuracy has now improved to over 70 per cent, and the goal is to reach 100 per cent by leveraging local datasets,” Ingabire said.

She also noted the need for public-private partnerships to unlock the full potential of AI.

"We are putting in place frameworks to open up data and support the private sector in developing AI-powered tools. A national data-sharing framework will soon allow institutions, including MINEDUC, to share data responsibly for research and innovation."