The Sharjah Private Education Authority announced a new reference and ethical framework to guide artificial intelligence applications across private educational institutions in the emirate. The document aims to foster secure and productive use of AI tools while enabling educators and learners to develop intelligent, sustainable learning spaces that keep pace with global digital trends. According to the authority, the framework draws directly from UAE national strategies, incorporating local cultural and social contexts to ensure technology serves educational excellence without compromising core principles.
Key elements of the framework centre on privacy and data protection alongside fairness, transparency and accountability in all AI deployments. Human oversight remains mandatory, with an emphasis on critical thinking to verify AI outputs, bolster cybersecurity and uphold academic integrity throughout school activities. The authority’s guidelines account for varying curricula and learning environments, spelling out distinct responsibilities for school leaders, teachers, students, IT specialists, educational experts and parents to maintain consistent implementation.
Academic integrity provisions within the framework define acceptable AI applications for assignments, projects and assessments while requiring disclosure of its use in relevant cases. The rules stress that AI-generated material must supplement rather than replace original student contributions or the central role of instructors, with mandatory checks on the accuracy of results and their origins. SPEA presented these standards as essential for preserving educational quality amid rapid technological change, as detailed in its October 13 announcement.
Aisha Butti Al Ghafli, director of curricula and tests at the Sharjah Private Education Authority, highlighted the framework’s role in balancing innovation with responsibility. Al Ghafli said the framework reflects the authority’s keenness on employing modern technologies in the educational environment according to clear and responsible foundations that preserve the privacy of learners and their data, enhance the role of the teacher, and develop critical thinking and information verification skills among students within the framework of national values. Her remarks underscored the initiative’s alignment with broader efforts to safeguard learner rights while advancing digital transformation.
The launch coincides with the UAE’s position as a regional leader in AI education, where the Ministry of Education has integrated AI as a required subject from kindergarten through secondary school. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development PISA 2025 figures show the UAE ranked first among 82 participating countries and economies in student AI usage for schoolwork, with just 5.3 per cent of 15-year-olds reporting no engagement compared with an OECD average of 13.7 per cent. The national AI literacy curriculum framework, benchmarked against UNESCO and OECD models, promotes comparable values of human governance, ethical design and inclusive application according to the Ministry of Education.
SPEA’s 2025-2028 strategy document references the artificial intelligence in education market’s rapid expansion, citing a Markets and Markets assessment that projected growth to 6.5 billion dollars by 2024 at a compound annual rate of 40.29 per cent. The authority has positioned its new framework as a practical tool to harness such trends within private schools while addressing evolving teaching methods and employment preparation needs. Complementary federal steps include the Ministry of Education’s approval of four generative AI platforms for controlled classroom use, establishing unified boundaries for safe adoption across the country.
