The Association of Private Educators in Nigeria (APEN) is planning to develop a Nigeria-centric artificial intelligence model designed to reflect the country’s curriculum, cultural context and classroom realities.
The association disclosed the initiative during a media briefing at Greensprings School in Anthony, Lagos, ahead of its 16th annual conference scheduled for November 2 and 3.
APEN said many AI tools currently used in schools rely on foreign datasets and may produce examples, explanations and educational content that do not adequately reflect the experiences of Nigerian learners.
The proposed model is intended to provide a more locally relevant alternative, helping educators use artificial intelligence while preserving the cultural and educational context in which students learn.
Bolanle Adewole, chairman of the conference planning committee, said AI offered opportunities to improve education but warned against adopting the technology without considering its relevance to Nigerian classrooms.
She explained that generic systems can sometimes produce examples rooted in foreign environments, creating a disconnect between the content students receive and the circumstances they encounter in everyday life.
According to APEN, a locally contextualised system could help educators generate teaching materials, structure lesson plans and develop learning resources that better align with Nigerian curricula.
The association also sees opportunities to use AI to reduce teachers’ administrative workload and support assessment, allowing educators to devote more time to instruction, mentorship and student development.
However, the proposed model remains a plan rather than a fully deployed educational product. APEN has not publicly detailed its technical architecture, development budget, training datasets or launch timetable.
Those details will be important in determining how the project will be built, maintained and evaluated.
Developing a reliable local AI model requires more than adapting language or examples. It also involves ensuring that outputs are accurate, curriculum-aligned, age-appropriate and safe for children.
Education specialists will need to consider data privacy, protection of students’ information, the risk of incorrect answers and the possibility that AI-generated content could reinforce bias or provide misleading explanations.
The initiative also raises questions about how the model will accommodate differences among Nigerian states, languages, school systems and learning environments.
APEN said its forthcoming conference, themed “Human First: Leading with Purpose in the Age of AI,” would examine how schools can adopt AI without undermining the role of teachers and human interaction in education.
The association’s leadership has argued that technology should support educators rather than replace the relationships that underpin effective teaching and learning.
For Nigeria’s education technology sector, the proposed model reflects a growing interest in AI systems designed around local needs rather than relying entirely on general-purpose international tools.
The project’s eventual value will depend on the quality of its educational content, affordability, accessibility and ability to support teachers and learners across different school settings.
