Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) President Mark Malabobah delivered his address at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA)/Sagicor National Athletics Championships held at the WBC Ben Hawthorn Conference Room in Kingston on Tuesday (12 May). (Photo: Mark Bell)
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Jamaica Teachers’ Association is calling on the Ministry of Education to convene an urgent meeting of teachers, school leaders, students, parents, assessment experts, universities and technology experts to develop a national policy on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in education.
The call comes as the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) announced on Thursday reforms to the School-Based Assessment (SBA) framework, which the council said are aimed at strengthening the integrity of assessments across the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, following the rapid rise of generative AI (artificial intelligence) and other technological innovations.
According to CXC, the move is aimed at resisting the use of generative artificial intelligence in the learning process, but rather to protect the integrity of the assessment process as learners and local education systems continue to adjust to the scale of AI’s impact on education in the Caribbean.
Read: CXC introduces reforms to SBA framework to protect integrity amid rise of generative AI
However, JTA said in a statement on Wednesday that while it recognizes CXC’s responsibility to protect the integrity, authenticity and international acceptance of qualifications, the concerns being raised go far beyond the administration of regional exams. These have far-reaching implications for Jamaica’s education system and call for an urgent national dialogue on teaching, learning, assessment and the responsible use of artificial intelligence, he said.
“CXC’s decision represents a clear recognition that existing evaluation frameworks have not kept pace with the rapid advances and widespread use of generative artificial intelligence. Put simply, CXC appears to have been largely unprepared and has fallen victim to the very technological transformation it is now trying to manage. The rapid phase-out of traditional SBA in several impractical subjects, despite some growing evidence, suggests that the organization did not act with sufficient foresight.” “It will be years before AI fundamentally changes issues of authorship, originality, and academic integrity,” JTA said.
According to JTA, replacing the traditional SBA with Paper 032 may only address one aspect of the problem, keeping in mind that AI abuse is not limited to students who have completed the SBA.
“It impacts homework, internal examinations, research assignments, lesson plans, higher education, and broader knowledge production and assessment. Therefore, this challenge cannot be solved simply by moving more assessments to controlled testing environments. It requires a comprehensive regional strategy for AI literacy, ethical behavior, and authentic assessment. This development also raises serious ethical considerations for Jamaica,” JTA noted.
The association said students need to be taught not only how to use AI, but also how to examine AI output, identify inaccuracies and biases, properly recognize the use of AI, and avoid presenting machine-generated material as their own. Meanwhile, teachers, school leaders, and parents must also be equipped to guide students through the realities of this new technology.
JTA said the recently announced reforms also raise concerns about equity, as not all students or schools have equal access to digital devices, reliable internet connections, AI platforms, and teachers with appropriate training in emerging technologies.
He stressed that without intentional intervention, AI has the potential to widen existing inequalities between schools and communities.
JTA is therefore calling on the Ministry of Education to convene an urgent meeting with teachers, school leaders, students, parents and other stakeholders to develop a national policy on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in education.
“Schools cannot be left to deal with these complex ethics, instruction, and assessment issues individually. CXC’s announcement must be treated as a warning to the entire education system. Artificial intelligence cannot simply be banned, ignored, or feared,” JTA said.
“But we also cannot afford to compromise intellectual integrity, independent thinking and confidence in our qualifications. The challenge before us is to responsibly integrate AI while ensuring that every certificate awarded continues to represent the true knowledge, skills and abilities of our students.”
