AI Concepts Set to Enter Philippine Basic Education
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the integration of artificial intelligence concepts into the basic education curriculum, underscoring responsible, student-centered use of the technology. He launched the Department of Education's flagship initiative, Project AGAP.AI (Accelerating Governance and Adaptive Pedagogy through Artificial Intelligence), which will roll out in phases this year.
A national AI skills training program will reach up to 1.5 million Filipinos-learners, teachers, and parents. The goal is clear: students learn how AI works, teachers embed it into lessons, and parents guide safe and wise use at home.
Training will cover the essentials: responsible use, spotting misinformation, privacy and security, and baseline AI literacy. Marcos also announced DepEd's Foundational Guidelines on AI in Basic Education-the country's first national framework for ethical and responsible AI use in schools.
DepEd will pilot AI-powered tools and platforms to improve classroom instruction and school operations while protecting fairness and data privacy. The focus is practical gains in teaching, learning, and decision-making-without compromising student data or equity.
To support curriculum integration, DepEd is working with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education and the Day of AI initiative. The effort aims to strengthen AI literacy, computational thinking, and digital innovation skills from the ground up.
Education Secretary Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara said the AI components could be included in the national curriculum as early as the second quarter. Marcos also reminded students that while AI can help tackle complex challenges, it won't replace discipline, creativity, or hard work-it should help you think, not think for you.
What this means for school leaders and teachers
- Map where AI concepts naturally fit: digital citizenship, media literacy, computational thinking, research, and project-based work across subjects.
- Build a practical PD plan: short micro-courses on prompt writing, evaluating AI outputs, formative feedback with AI, and basic privacy/safety protocols.
- Set classroom guardrails: disclose AI use, cite tools, verify outputs, and require student reflection on how AI influenced their work.
- Protect data: review tool permissions, disable data sharing by default, and document parental consent where needed.
- Engage families: run brief sessions on AI basics, safe use at home, and how to spot misinformation.
- Audit infrastructure: device access, bandwidth, filtered logins, and teacher-friendly tools that don't require complex setup.
- Pilot, then scale: start with one grade level or subject, collect evidence of learning impact, and refine before wider rollout.
- Assess what matters: prioritize critical thinking, reasoning, citation, and process logs over AI-polishable final outputs.
Helpful starting points
- MIT RAISE - research-backed resources on responsible AI education.
- Day of AI - free classroom-ready activities to introduce AI concepts.
- Looking to upskill your team quickly? Explore curated options here: AI courses by job.
Bottom line
AI is entering basic education with structure, training, and safeguards. Prepare your teachers, set clear policies, and start small with well-chosen pilots. Done right, this move will strengthen student thinking, not replace it.
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