Anshu Chandra
The world is debating how Artificial Intelligence (AI) should be used in education, but in Nagaland, the real question is: Who will guide society to use AI ethically and responsibly? The answer lies not in technology firms or policymakers, but in education, because it is rightly called the mother of all sectors. And within education, it is teacher education that must play the role of the grandmother, nurturing future generations of teachers who can guide society at large.
UNESCO has warned that irresponsible use of AI can increase inequalities (AI and education: Guidance for policymakers, 2021; pages 1–5). Therefore, teacher education institutions firstly, need a holistic strategy to ethical and responsible AI use, from protecting student data to integrating AI and human judgment. Prospective teachers at Nagaland’s all eight B.Ed. colleges must learn these abilities now onwards. They will spread this vital information through school students in Nagaland community if ambitious prospective teachers acquire these concepts during training and practice them in their classrooms. Thus, society will understand ethical and responsible AI use.
For Instance, Student Data Privacy: if a teacher in Dimapur uploads names and marks into an AI tool to analyse the overall obtain scores without safeguards, it risks breaching confidentiality. But if B.Ed. students are trained from the beginning to treat AI platforms like public spaces, they will model responsible behaviour for their own learners. Over time, this habit spreads, creating a culture of digital trust in the consistent practice.
Not Blindly Accepting AI Outputs. In 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Yuval Noah Harari wrote, “In a world deluged by irrelevant information, clarity is power.” Modern censorship floods people with irrelevant material, making clarity rare and powerful. So, the problem is how to use AI in education ethically and responsibly. For instance, AI may misrepresent Nagaland’s cultural narrative in multilingual schools and AI might mistranslate or misrepresent local cultural stories. If prospective teachers learn to double-check and fact-verify AI-generated material, they will prevent misinformation from entering textbooks, worksheets, or class discussions.
Transparency With Students is equally crucial. Imagine a trainee teacher in Mokokchung using AI to draft a quiz and then telling students, “Let’s check it for clarity together.” This not only teaches honesty but also trains young learners to think critically about technology, a skill that will benefit society far beyond classrooms.
Teaching Students to Question AI, citing AI-assisted work, checking for bias, and blending human judgment with AI’s efficiency gain even more significance in a tribal society like Nagaland. Here, diversity of voices, respect for culture, and community values must always guide technology. If these values are taught to teachers-in-training, they will ripple outward like concentric circles, reaching families, communities, and ultimately shaping a society that uses AI responsibly.
Use AI to Support Thinking, Not Replace It: AI should serve as a spark for inquiry rather than a substitute for critical thought. For example, during a B.Ed. social science methods class in Kohima, prospective teachers might ask an AI tool to suggest debate topics on community forestry or cultural preservation. But the real learning begins when students critique those topics filtering out irrelevant ones, adapting others to the local Naga context, and adding community-driven perspectives. In this way, AI provides the starting point, but it is the teacher’s role to cultivate independent reflection and deeper understanding.
Grading Students with AI: Be Careful Grades must reflect progress, effort, and cultural complexity, which algorithms cannot measure. Prospective instructors can use AI to create rubrics or feedback phrases instead of grading Wokha or Mon teaching practice assignments. The final rating is determined by the teacher, who is familiar with the student's background, such as progress in integrating English and mother tongue instruction or relating classes to tribal histories. AI can help structure feedback, but teachers must ensure fairness, empathy, and responsibility in assessment.
The chain effect is unmatched because no other sector has the reach that education enjoys. Engineers, doctors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers all pass-through classrooms. If prospective teachers learn ethical AI use during their B.Ed. and M.Ed. years, they will teach it to thousands of students across Nagaland. Those students, in turn, will take responsible practices into banking, agriculture, health, business, and governance. Within a decade, the state could witness a culture where AI is not feared, misused, or blindly trusted but applied ethically and accountably.
Teacher education must be grandmotherly, nourishing ideals, influencing behaviour, and imparting wisdom. Nagaland teacher education institutes can create hands-on AI ethics modules and workshops training where student-teachers write AI-generated lesson plans, revise them critically, and consider ethical issues. They can personalise AI results for Wokha or Mon bilingual classrooms while protecting privacy and cultural authenticity.
The larger message is clear: AI may be the future of education, but it is teachers who will decide whether that future is ethical and accountable. By equipping prospective teachers today, The Nagaland State can ensure that AI becomes a tool for empowerment, not exploitation. In the end, technology alone cannot transform society but education can. And just as every mother relies on the grandmother for wisdom, every sector will depend on teacher education to ensure AI is used with responsibility and humanity. This vision also recognizes our constitutional fundamental duties- “urges citizens to cultivate a scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry (Art.51A-8) while striving for excellence in all aspects of life (Art.51A-10)” as emphasized in NEP 2020 (5.24; page-23).
The writer is a research scholar, Department of Teacher Education, Nagaland University, Kohima Campus.
