Teachers must be role models for innovation in the AI era

In the digital age, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), the role of schools and teachers is facing revolutionary changes.

At the recent workshop "Building future skills for the Vietnamese student generation: The role of schools and teachers in open education ", Associate Professor, Dr. Luu Bich Ngoc - Chief of Office of the National Council for Education and Human Resources Development said that if 3 years ago AI was still quite obscure, now this technology has flooded nearly 1,000 products and booths at the EdTech exhibition.

"AI can grade papers and support personalized learning. So, what will be the role of teachers now? Will there still be teachers in a few years, when there are classes with virtual teachers?", Ms. Ngoc asked.

Answering this question, experts all agreed that technology cannot completely replace humans. Associate Professor, Dr. Le Hieu Hoc - Head of the Faculty of Science and Technology Education (Hanoi University of Science and Technology) said that AI can take on specific tasks such as preparing lectures or answering questions, but not the role of a teacher or guide.

Experts discuss at the workshop.

"Now, the role of lecturers is to provide guidance and create an environment for students to experience new technology. More importantly, lecturers must help students distinguish the advantages and benefits of technology and the harmful effects and negative impacts if used in moderation," the expert analyzed.

In the new context, teachers are not only transmitters of knowledge but also must become motivators and role models of innovation.

According to Professor, Dr. Tran Trung - Director of the Academy of Ethnic Minorities, in order to train good human resources to meet the requirements of the technological revolution, university education needs to change. He proposed three main directions: designing programs in a cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary direction; fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship and practice in students; and most importantly, teachers must be role models of innovation.

"The upcoming revised Law on Teachers and Law on Civil Servants will 'untie' lecturers, allowing them to own businesses and start businesses. Can teachers start businesses and digitally transform? Only when they can do so can they inspire students," affirmed Professor, Dr. Tran Trung.

Agreeing with this view, Associate Professor Luu Bich Ngoc shared: "It seems that not only students but also teachers have now become learners. 35 years ago, when I graduated from pedagogy, my lesson plans were still handwritten. Now it is a completely different world . If I want to set an example for students, sometimes I have to go back to the beginning to learn."

Ms. Ngoc also pointed out a major challenge: the inertia of the teaching staff. She cited the project to make English a second language that would require the addition and retraining of hundreds of thousands of teachers.

"Technology can help, but there still needs to be humans around. Because an extremely important factor of a teacher is emotion. Emotional education can only come from a teacher," Ms. Ngoc said.

Despite clear orientations, the process of transforming Vietnamese education still faces many practical challenges.

Dr. Bui Phuong Viet Anh - Director of the International Institute for Strategic Human Resource Management frankly admitted: "We are making an educational revolution in a very 'simple' way. The country's major strategic project, but we do not have infrastructure, do not have big data, it is still just a dream".

He said that although the world has advanced far, Vietnamese education "is still struggling at level 2.0-3.0". There are two major problems: low consensus in policy, causing slow institutional dismantling, and the education sector lacking the thinking capacity to compete and integrate internationally.

"We have aspirations, passion, and resources, but have not exploited them effectively," Dr. Viet Anh worried.

Minh Thu

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/cong-nghe/thay-co-phai-la-tam-guong-doi-moi-trong-ky-nguyen-ai/20250818105125991