Promoting Literacy in the Digital Era
THE TIMES KUWAIT REPORT
Despite great progress being made in improving literacy worldwide over the past five decades, more than 750 million adults still cannot read and write, two thirds of them women, and 250 million children fail to acquire basic literacy skills. The illiteracy figures could be higher, as a narrow definition of literacy, which recognizes anyone who has the ability to read and write as literate, is sometimes used in statistics provided by states to feign progress in education.
However, education is a much broader process than just learning to read, write, and use numbers. Literacy is now recognized as a continuum of gaining knowledge throughout life, and integrating this knowledge into one’s values, actions, and behaviors to foster personal growth. Additionally, the rapid digital technological transformations happening globally has made it imperative to frequently reskill and upskill to meet the demands of a dynamic marketplace.
Accordingly, our understanding of literacy has become more encompassing. For instance, when computers and the internet became mainstream in the 1980s and 90s, the labor-market need was for digital literacy. Today, with artificial intelligence (AI) proliferating into every aspect of our lives and the digital sphere, the demand is for AI literacy, with digital literacy being seen as a necessary prerequisite for gaining AI literacy.
AI literacy is a set of competencies that include the knowledge and ability to engage effectively with AI systems and tools, adapt to AI-integrated jobs and work environments, and become informed participants. Literacy in the digital era is also central to fostering critical thinking, discerning credible information, navigating complex information environments, and understanding the ethical and societal dimensions of AI so as to use it responsibly.
The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) now defines literacy in the digital era as the set of skills that equip people to access, understand, use, critically evaluate, create, communicate and engage with digital content safely and ethically. The theme for this year’s International Literacy Day,on 8 September, ‘Promoting Literacy in the Digital Era’. highlights the primacy of literacy, and growingly, that of AI literacy
Literacy in the digital era is key to empowering individuals, improving lives, expanding capabilities, reducing poverty and inequality, enhancing overall health, and increasing job opportunities. In particular, digitally empowered women generate a social ripple effect that positively impacts their immediate families, as well as the wider community.
In what is seen as a major move to modernize Kuwait’s education system, last July, Minister of Education Jalal Al-Tabtabaei approved the comprehensive reform of school curricula for grades one through nine. The initiative, to be implemented in the 2025-2026 academic year, is seen as a pivotal step toward aligning Kuwait’s academic content with the rapid global advancements in AI, and introducing digital teaching methodologies in classrooms,
The ministry of education has affirmed its commitment to fostering a generation equipped to navigate and tackle future challenges effectively. The transformative curriculum reforms aim to modernize Kuwait’s educational content, promote innovation, and address long-standing gaps. Additionally, the ministry plans to integrate AI into the Grade 10 curriculum from this year, in alignment with education policies that see the critical need for AI skills to meet the demands of a labor market in a rapidly evolving digital world.
The education reforms and curriculum upgrades are also in line with the country’s 2035 vision of New Kuwait that aims to equip future generations with crucial digital skills, and to position Kuwait as a regional front-runner in advanced education. The Kuwait National Development Plan (KNDP)—the framework designed to realize Vision 2035—is segmented into several five year stages, each of which focuses on a key overarching theme of the vision.
So far there have been two development plans; the first plan was for the period from 2010 to 2015 and concentrated on legislative activities. The second, which ended in 2020, focused on infrastructure. The ongoing KNDP-3, for the period 2021-2025, emphasizes private sector engagement, and equipping people with the knowledge, skills and incentives for future growth. The fourth and fifth KNDPs are set to focus on knowledge economy (2026-2030), and on transition to a smart Kuwait (2031-2035).
A key element in the human capital component of KNDP is reforming the educational system to equip young individuals to be more effective, competitive, innovative, and productive members of the workforce, whose returns are positively reflected economically, socially, and culturally on the nation. While the reforms have been broadly welcomed, experts insist that success hinges on effective implementation, stakeholder engagement, clear assessment strategies, and ethical guidelines being incorporated alongside reform roll outs.
Also, considering that teachers are pivotal to the successful implementation of AI policies in classrooms, it is critical that they be empowered with appropriate training in AI components that enhance their teaching skills and enable them to better monitor and assess the learning and performance of students. Policy-makers also need to ensure that teachers are adequately incentivized to learn about AI, and provided with the time and support needed to experiment with AI teaching methodologies in their classroom.
Not only teachers, but decision-makers, principals, and the general public should be provided with opportunities to develop AI digital competencies, including understanding how to use AI responsibly and ethically. Knowing when to use, and equally, when not to use, these AI tools is a competency that should ideally begin in early childhood. Policy-makers should also develop ethical guidelines, and assess and revise them constantly due to the rapidly evolving nature of AI technologies.
The education ministry’s forward-thinking educational strategies and efforts, including the comprehensive reform initiative, introduction of the AI curriculum, and eventually incorporating AI in the entire learning process, are expected to develop crucial skills such as problem-solving, creative-thinking, and innovation, along with media and data literacy that are vital to building the foundation for students to efficiently meet the demands of future labor markets.
Recent initiatives by the government to push through digital transformation of public sector entities, and integrate AI to improve operational and administrative efficiency, and enhance services to the public, the importance of AI literacy is only set to increase. Preparing for this transformation will require the services of a generation of AI-empowered youth. Emphasizing the growing demand for skilled young professionals in AI systems, the Civil Service Commission announced the creation of 24,000 new positions, with a significant portion in tech and AI fields,
International partnerships also play a pivotal role in boosting the country’s digital transformation plans. In March this year, Kuwait and global digital technology giant Microsoft entered into a strategic partnership agreement to help accelerate digital transformation efforts in Kuwait. The collaboration with Microsoft and other international digital tech companies could further enhance training programs focused on equipping teachers with new-age skills, and ensure that students are educated in an environment that reflects latest global standards.
Along with expanding AI training in higher education and professions, it is vital to empower all citizens in digital competencies so as to achieve the vision of an inclusive, knowledge-based economy. In this move towards a digital, smart Kuwait it is equally important to incorporate necessary ethical guidelines that address privacy concerns, including digital surveillance, biases, and environmental impacts.
Implementing effective policies and interventions that promote literacy as a common good and a human right, is key to preparing Kuwait for tomorrow’s world.
The United Nations recognizes literacy in the digital era as a foundation for people to acquire broader knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, and behaviors that foster a culture of respect for equality, and helps build more peaceful, inclusive, equitable and sustainable societies.
Follow The Times Kuwait on X, Instagram and Facebook for the latest news updates
