The Institute of Technology and Education at the University of Bremen in Germany recently hosted the Artificial Intelligence Pioneers Final Conference on AI and the Future of Education.
The conference reflected a growing global consensus that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to fundamentally reshape education systems.
Increasingly, AI tools are being used to personalise learning at scale, improve teaching quality, and enhance student outcomes.
AI is no longer a futuristic concept in education and training. It is already being applied across secondary and tertiary education systems, including in parts of Africa.
Mark Nasila, a leading scholar on the continent, notes in his book ‘African Artificial Intelligence’ that educators in Lagos, Nigeria, are already experiencing the benefits of AI-enabled classrooms.
One such example is Schoolinka, founded by Oluwaseun Kayode, which empowers teachers through AI-driven digital tools that support professional development and classroom effectiveness.
In Namibia, the Unesco 2025 AI Readiness Report highlights that institutions such as the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) and the University of Namibia (Unam) have begun offering AI-related programmes.
However, the report also underscores the need for more specialised training pathways and stronger research capacity, particularly within technical and vocational education and training.
BENCHMARKING
Namibia was represented at the Bremen conference through the Project TVET Task Force – established by the minister of education in March 2025 to guide the transformation of five state-owned vocational training centres into specialised technical and vocational education and training colleges.
Participation in the conference formed part of a broader benchmarking visit to vocational education and training institutions in Bremen.
The conference brought together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from across Europe and beyond, focusing on how AI can transform teaching, learning, and skills development, particularly within vocational education and training.
Conference organisers noted that before tools such as ChatGPT captured global attention, the European Union had already invested in national and international projects on AI in vocational education through the Erasmus+ programme.
The objective was to promote international exchange and mutual learning, drawing lessons from both successful applications and implementation challenges.
This approach led to the creation of an international network of AI Pioneers, funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ programme through its Partnerships for Innovation and Forward-Looking Projects framework.
RELEVANCE
The timing of this conference could not have been more relevant for Namibia.
The integration of artificial intelligence has yet to feature prominently in national public discourse, particularly at secondary and post-secondary levels.
This is concerning given that TVET institutions are at the centre of skills development, workforce readiness and industrial transformation.
Across sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, education, urban planning, and oil and gas, AI-driven technologies are reshaping productivity, efficiency, and institutional expectations in both the public and private sectors.
These changes are felt most acutely in the workplace, where skills requirements are evolving rapidly.
Many occupations likely to be affected by labour market shifts associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution are closely linked to TVET qualifications.
If TVET systems fail to adapt, they risk training graduates for jobs that are already disappearing or transforming.
One of the key messages from the Bremen conference was that AI should not be viewed as a technological add-on, but as a strategic enabler.
In TVET, AI has the potential to personalise learning pathways, improve assessment, enhance curriculum relevance, and support instructors through data driven insights.
Crucially, it can help align training programmes with fast-changing labour market demands.
Namibia’s decision to transform vocational training centres into specialised TVET colleges is therefore a timely and strategic response to industry needs, the demand for higher quality graduates, and the skills gap that emerged following the transformation of the Polytechnic of Namibia into the Namibia University of Science and Technology.
RISKS AND STRATEGY
However, the integration of AI into TVET is not without risks.
Uncritical adoption could deepen inequalities between well-resourced and under-resourced institutions, between urban and rural pupils, and between those with digital literacy and those without.
This makes it essential for Namibia to approach AI integration deliberately, ethically, and inclusively.
From a policy perspective, AI must be embedded within a broader national education and skills strategy.
Practical tools such as ChatGPT can already play a supportive role by assisting instructors with lesson planning, assessment design, and curriculum development, while helping pupils with revision, language support, and problem solving.
Pupils in Namibian higher education institutions are increasingly using such tools to complement classroom learning.
Research from the University of Bremen further reinforces this point.
In their study on AI in vocational education delivery, academics Ludger Deitmer and Christine Seimer argue that AI-supported learning environments offering one-to-one support are particularly promising, especially when combined with peer learning networks that encourage reflection and knowledge sharing.
For such approaches to succeed, AI integration must consider both technological and pedagogical dimensions.
This requires investment in digital infrastructure at TVET centres, systematic upskilling of instructors and administrators, curriculum updates that include AI-related competencies, and stronger partnerships with industry and research institutions.
Equally important is the development of clear regulatory and ethical frameworks that protect pupils while enabling innovation.
CLEAR LESSONS
The future of work in Namibia will be shaped by automation, data, and intelligent systems.
If the TVET system does not evolve accordingly, the country risks producing graduates whose skills are obsolete upon entry into the labour market.
Conversely, a deliberate and strategic embrace of AI could position TVET as a powerful driver of inclusive growth, industrialisation, and long-term competitiveness.
The lessons from Bremen are clear. AI is not a distant future but a present reality.
The question is no longer whether Namibia should engage with AI in TVET, but how quickly and how strategically this engagement can take place.
This calls for a national conversation on AI, education, and skills development, with TVET firmly placed at the heart of Namibia’s development agenda.
Henny Seibeb holds a postgraduate diploma in poverty, land and agrarian studies from the University of the Western Cape, and a bachelor of public management (honours) in political science from the University of Namibia.
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