Education Ministers Set Eight Priorities for AI in Classrooms

More than 25 education ministers and designated representatives adopted a joint statement at UNESCO’s Digital Learning Week in Paris on September 8, setting out eight priorities for artificial intelligence in education. The statement calls for public accountability, teacher involvement, age-appropriate tools and protection of learner data. It is a shared policy direction, not a binding rule that automatically changes national classrooms.

The proposals start with a practical question for schools: who can examine an AI system and change course if it fails? The statement asks for auditable systems, data portability and public oversight even when tools enter through free tiers or vendor donations. It also asks education systems to count the full cost of ownership rather than judging a product only by its initial price.

The ministers put learning and teachers at the centre of adoption. AI should prompt students to reason and do cognitive work, they said, while teachers should take part in decisions about classroom systems and receive preparation to use them. The statement calls for designs suited to age and development, and for the ability to pause or discontinue a tool where warranted. Multilingual access and evaluation across different learners are also among the priorities.

UNESCO said a survey of academics in its network found widespread perceptions that students use generative AI for assignments, but perceptions are not a direct measurement of every student’s behaviour. The policy test now is implementation: procurement requirements, evidence of educational benefit, safeguards for children’s data and a route for teachers and learners to challenge a system. Without those steps, the eight principles would remain aspirations rather than classroom practice.