KEY POINTS
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Gateway Christian Teachers College’s AI program trains educators to integrate AI into classrooms, targeting 1,000 teachers by 2025 through a peer-led cascade model.
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The phased structure includes skill-building, tool deployment, and community-driven support, addressing ethical and logistical challenges in low-resource settings.
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Aligned with Zimbabwe’s Education 5.0 and global SDGs, the initiative faces hurdles like limited infrastructure but aims to leverage partnerships for scalability.
Gateway Christian Teachers College has unveiled a groundbreaking program, Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Teachers in Africa, designed to equip educators with digital literacy and AI integration skills.
Launched on May 5, 2025, the initiative aligns with Zimbabwe’s Education 5.0 policy, which prioritizes innovation, industrialization, and heritage-based learning. Thirteen educators completed the inaugural training cohort, emerging as AI champions tasked with cascading knowledge to 1,000 teachers nationwide by year-end.
“This program empowers educators to harness AI’s potential ethically and effectively in classrooms,” the college stated. The curriculum spans AI fundamentals, practical classroom applications, and ethical considerations like data privacy.
Herald online reports that a phased rollout includes capacity building, tool deployment, classroom integration, and peer-led communities of practice to sustain momentum.
How AI training tackles Zimbabwe’s educational challenges
The initiative arrives amid systemic hurdles in Zimbabwe’s education sector, where only 34% of rural schools have reliable internet access, and teacher-student ratios average 1:45. “AI can personalize learning, automate administrative tasks, and bridge resource gaps,” said Dr. Tariro Mupfuka, an education technologist at the University of Zimbabwe. Neighboring countries like Kenya and South Africa have similar programs, but Gateway’s focus on peer-to-peer training marks a unique approach.
Participants praised the program’s practicality. “We’re learning to use AI tools for lesson planning and student assessments, even in low-tech environments,” said Tendai Marufu, a primary school teacher from Harare. The initiative also supports Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Quality Education (SDG 4) and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10).
Critics, however, caution against infrastructural limitations. “Without electricity and devices, AI training risks becoming theoretical,” noted NGO EdTech Africa. Gateway plans partnerships with telecom firms to subsidize data costs and donate refurbished tablets to underserved schools.
