Filipe Amorim / Lusa
The Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre
“If there is a lack” of computers, it is because the directors “did not communicate the need”, said Fernando Alexandre. “AI? Each student has to keep up (…) otherwise we will be left behind. Those who use AI have more capacity.”
The Minister of Education revealed this Monday in Porto that he had requested a survey to understand the reason why some schools reported not having computers for studentsensuring that the situation is not due to a lack of funds.
Speaking to journalists, Fernando Alexandre stressed that “if a school does not have computers” this does not happen “because of a lack of resources” from the ministry.
Asked what would be the basis of this failure if it is not a financial issue, the official informed that he will inquire what happened “because the directors were asked about the need to buy computers”, he insisted.
“If they are missing, they haven’t communicated the need”stressed Fernando Alexandre.
And he continued: “I’m not saying that it’s not possible to improve some dimensions, not so much in terms of student use, but more so in administrative and library computers, which are still very old and which we would like to be able to replace quickly. What I’m saying is that it hasn’t been due to a lack of funds. There has been a problem, sometimes, with equipment management.”
Fernando Alexandre also guaranteed that “there is no case of a school that asked for funds to buy computers that did not receive funding from the ministry”.
“AI will be a very important complement”
The Minister of Education, Science and Innovation participated in the closing session of the 10th edition of the Autumn Forum of INESC TEC – Institute of Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science dedicated to the theme “Human Being in the Era of Artificial Intelligence – Identity, Ethics and Society in a Technological World”, which marked the 40th anniversary of the information technology research unit.
On the topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Fernando Alexandre stressed that the strategy for education, which is being prepared by the Government “it will not replace teachers (…) but it will be a very important complement, because in fact today the effect it has on younger students, older students, at different levels of education [faz com] that anyone who doesn’t use it will be at a disadvantage.”
“Each student, the country as a whole, has to follow this revolution. Because otherwise we will be left behind. Because those who use artificial intelligence, in fact, have more capacity”, insisted the minister for whom AI should be looked at as a “tool with the possibility of personalizing teaching, but never replacing the teacher, because the teacher will also have a role in this personalization and in the use of these tools”.
