LETTER | Kids must learn how to think

As SA schools settle into the 2026 academic year, the conversation is dominated by digital literacy. There is a frantic push for AI and coding education in our schools. However, as a graduate BI analyst and information systems researcher, I see a dangerous gap: we are teaching children the mechanics of technology without the critical thinking required to master it.

Education in the 4th industrial revolution shouldn’t be about learning how to use technology but about developing the ethical inquiry to lead it. In my research on using AI to help combat fraud, I have realised the machine handles routine perfectly. However, it cannot question a baseline or navigate ethical nuance.

This is where the power of youth in co-creating education comes in. If a machine can execute a task, children shouldn’t spend 12 years learning to mimic it. We must move towards a “Zenith” mindset, where learning is an active investigation and not a passive reception. – Ntebaleng Naledi Makua