Schools in Sharjah are making it clear that students can use artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT to research topics, explore ideas and support their learning, but cannot rely on them to write answers or complete assignments on their behalf.
The Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) has introduced a new ethical framework for AI use in educational institutions, setting out expectations for students, teachers, school leaders, parents and IT teams.
The framework aims to improve education quality and support digital transformation while safeguarding student privacy, data protection and academic integrity. Aligned with the UAE’s national directives and values, it emphasises fairness, transparency, accountability, human oversight, cybersecurity and critical thinking.
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Students are expected to produce original work rather than submit AI-generated content as their own. The framework also calls for disclosure of AI use where appropriate and stresses the importance of verifying information generated by these tools.
Aisha Butti Al Ghafli, Director of the Curriculum and Assessment Department at SPEA, said the framework reflected the authority’s commitment to integrating modern technologies into education while protecting learners’ data, reinforcing teachers’ roles and developing students’ critical-thinking skills.
Khaleej Times spoke to school principals in Sharjah to understand how the guidelines could translate into classroom practices.
'AI should encourage students to analyse information'
Pramod Mahajan, principal of Sharjah Indian School, said the primary objective was to ensure that students remained academically honest and developed the ability to think independently.
“The aim behind changing the AI rules is to ensure academic honesty. Students should not depend entirely on ChatGPT or other AI tools to write their answers or complete assignments. Their work should reflect their own understanding, creativity and ability to think independently. This is what will help them develop their critical-thinking skills and learn to approach problems in their own way.”
Mahajan said AI should encourage students to question, explore and analyse information rather than simply supply ready-made answers. Students could use the technology to research a subject and identify areas for further exploration, but the conclusions should be their own.
“AI should be used to challenge students and encourage them to think, rather than simply provide them with answers. They can use it to explore a topic or gather information, but the next step must come from them. They should be able to think through the information and come up with their own answers.”
To assess whether students genuinely understand what they submit, schools will need to look beyond completed assignments, he said. Sharjah Indian School plans to use assessments and prompts that allow teachers to evaluate students’ understanding directly.
“For instance, we may give them a quiz that requires them to respond immediately, allowing us to assess their understanding rather than just the answers they submit.”
Students may use AI to gather information and identify points they want to explore, Mahajan added, but the final answers and conclusions must come from their own thinking. He also said AI could help identify instances where students had relied on the technology to generate their work.
“We welcome this initiative. The larger goal is clear… students must learn to use AI responsibly without losing the ability to think for themselves.”
The role of teachers and parents in responsible AI use
Dr Armeena Tabassum, principal of Raffles World Academy Sharjah, said schools needed to strike a balance between preparing students for a technology-driven world and ensuring they retained the skills to learn independently.
“We recognise that artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly important part of education and the world our students are growing up in. Our approach is to strike a careful balance between embracing technology as a purposeful tool for enhancing teaching and learning, while developing students' academic integrity, critical thinking and independence.”
She stressed that students should understand the distinction between using AI as a learning aid and allowing it to do their work for them.
“We want our students to understand that AI should support their thinking, not replace it.”
At her school, responsible use involves setting clear expectations around academic integrity, online safety and checking the accuracy of AI-generated information.
“Teachers model responsible use, while parents are encouraged to help children attempt tasks independently before seeking digital support,” she added.