Assignment 3
Due 22 August 2025
, ENG1502
Assignment 3
Due 22 August 2025
AI in education: Will it bridge or widen South Africa’s learning divide?
By Thapelo Molefe
Molefe, T. (2025) AI in education: Will it bridge or widen South Africa‟s learning divide?,
Inside Education, 1 March. Available at: https://insideeducation.co.za/ai-in-education-
will-it-bridge-or-widen-south-africas-learning-divide/ (Accessed: 31 July 2025).
Text 1
AI in Education: Will It Bridge or Widen South Africa’s Learning Divide?
The article “AI in Education: Will it Bridge or Widen South Africa’s Learning Divide?” by
Thapelo Molefe (2025), published in Inside Education, critically examines the dual
potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in transforming South Africa’s education system.
Molefe refrains from offering a definitive verdict, instead presenting a nuanced
argument: AI can either alleviate or exacerbate educational inequalities, depending on
how equitably and contextually it is implemented. This analysis engages with the
article’s key arguments, applying them to South Africa’s historically unequal educational
landscape to assess AI’s transformative potential.
AI’s Potential to Bridge the Learning Divide
AI technologies hold significant promise for advancing educational equity in South
Africa, a country still grappling with the legacies of apartheid, under-resourced schools,
and stark urban-rural disparities.