Expansion of AI use to ease teachers’ load

The Department of Education (DepEd) said Thursday that expanding artificial intelligence (AI) integration in public schools is expected to significantly reduce teachers’ administrative burden and improve system-wide efficiency.

Elmo Domino Jose, Governance and Delivery Lead of the Education Center for AI Research (ECAIR), said even marginal efficiency gains can create a substantial impact across the country’s basic education system, which serves more than 24 million learners.

“In a system serving over 24 million learners, even a 1 percent gain in efficiency has a massive impact on our country’s education system,” he said.

“By integrating AI into DepEd’s operations, we are saving millions of hours of our teachers’ time so they can focus on teaching.”

From Feb. 16 to 21, ECAIR presented its AI scaling framework at the AI Impact Summit at the Bharat Mandapam Convention Center in India, where it showcased several AI-enabled systems already deployed in Philippine public schools.

Among these is SIGLA, an automated health monitoring and reporting system that has assisted around 34,000 educators and helped save an estimated 60,000 work hours annually.

Another platform, SABAY, operates as an AI-backed online triage system providing academic support to 48,000 teachers handling early-grade learners.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara underscored the importance of adopting AI responsibly to ensure it benefits learners and education personnel.

“At DepEd, we are deliberate about building AI that strengthens public institutions, protects our learners, and delivers measurable results at scale,” he said. “ECAIR reflects our commitment to move beyond experimentation and toward responsible transformation across our entire education system.”

Angara also welcomed the launch of the National Artificial Intelligence Center for Research and Innovation (NAICRI), which will serve as the country’s institutional hub for AI research, shared computing infrastructure, and innovation across priority sectors.

He said the initiative complements broader reforms in workforce development, digital infrastructure and responsible governance.

“Education must be both protected and future-ready. We will harness AI to close learning gaps, strengthen governance, and empower teachers, but always with safeguards, transparency, and human oversight,” Angara said in a separate statement.

Even prior to NAICRI’s rollout, DepEd had already initiated several AI-related projects. These include Project TALINO, a digital mapping system offering real-time insights into school needs; Project DUNONG, which automates the National Qualifying Examination for School Heads; and Project SALIKSEEK, a generative AI-powered quick-response tool enabling personnel to retrieve structured education data within seconds.