There was much fanfare in some parts of the Internet at the time of Nature study withdrawn, The impact of ChatGPT on students' learning performance, perceptions of learning, and higher-order thinking: Insights from a meta-analysis, raising concerns about inconsistencies in meta-analyses and lack of confidence in the findings.
The problem is that the flawed study has been cited approximately 262 times in peer-reviewed papers published in the same journal, in less than a year. It seems the science world was desperate for hope about the role of big-language models in education.
Now seems like a good time to mention another dramatic shift in decisions about deploying technology in classrooms alongside Earth's most intellectually challenged inhabitants (read: children).
Three years ago this month (May 2023), the Swedish Education Minister announced that the government would gradually reduce the digitalization of Swedish schools and reintroduce paper-based learning. This happened when the country completely switched to digital education in 2009. The reversal is linked to a budget of €104 million with the ambition of “one textbook per student and subject”.
back to basics
When Daily Maverick asked Rod Smith, Cambridge University Press Group's managing director of international education, about the global pivot to incorporate technology and AI into the curriculum, he was cautious and measured.
Smith said in expertly chosen words, “Too often these debates can be led by technology first rather than pedagogy first or education first.”
Smith warned that introducing AI and technology without deep educational roots risks de-skilling the next generation, saying a curriculum should instead empower learners to control the technology.
“If we are educating young people to be replaced by (AI) then we are teaching them the wrong things… We are not developing the skills to enable them to master the technology rather than be replaced by the technology.”
Cambridge, like most education businesses looking to scale in the modern economy, is focusing on an “evidence-based” approach to AI rather than adopting new technology for its own sake. They are still building AI capabilities, don't misunderstand that part.
His primary focus is on how technology impacts learning and brain development, stating that his thought leadership is “very much based on what the evidence is telling us about how it is working?” and “What is this evidence telling us about the effects on young people and their thinking and their cognitive abilities”.
Make it as easy as possible, Ray, Me
Smith chimed in with our questions and immediately clarified that Cambridge is not trying to join any edtech vendor that sells hardware or proprietary software packages:
“We are not in the hardware sales process…”
Cambridge works globally and, under his leadership, has a revised approach to development. “We'll move at the pace … the speed that people want us to move … When you're on an international level, you realize some countries are ready to go digital and some will continue to need, you know, print”.
Smith actually defended the educational value of physical books on screen, explaining that “there are actually some things that print does very well, better than digital; really, the way information is presented and assimilated by young people”.
But his words about advances in technology — which are actually benefiting physical books — resonate with a group of teachers who are tired of the relentless march of technology.
“There's also new technologies making it cheaper to print, making things like this cheaper to make, so I think there will be benefits in that format as well.”
For teachers on the ground, the promise of the digital classroom is at odds with their daily reality. South Africa's national professional teachers' organization (NAPTOSA) has repeatedly expressed dismay at top-down technological and curriculum changes designed without adequate consultation or understanding of classroom conditions, so the idea of new textbooks should read like a Scandinavian fairy tale.
Basil Manuel, president of the organization, had earlier questioned: “How far are those so-called experts and education policy makers from the classroom?”
They are right to argue that adding complex technical and evaluation requirements burdens an already overloaded system:
“Instead of delivering quality education, teachers have become crowd controllers in chaotic classrooms… Listen to teachers – who live the reality of the classroom every day and understand that real change starts with creating the right conditions for teaching and learning.”
Sign in to learn
The current target of teachers' frustration is Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube, and thankfully he is largely on their side:
“Basic education is at the heart of what we have done over the past year, because a child who cannot read, write and calculate with meaning and confidence will struggle in every other subject… We have launched a strategic shift to improve basic education. This strategy, supported by Cabinet, focuses on increasing access to quality ECD and early-grade literacy and numeracy.”
The DBE's overarching strategy sees technology as a key pillar of the classroom, but calls on all stakeholders to maintain the “five Ts” (time on task, teacher preparation, textbooks, technology and testing). Summarizing the Ramaphosa administration's approach to this dual approach, Gwarube explains:
“The achievements of 2024/25 reflect a decisive reorientation of the basic education system: evidence-based planning, strong foundations, inclusive access, sustainable infrastructure and professional learning. Together, they advance GNU's vision of an equitable, just and prosperous society by investing in the most important national resource – our children.”
when the screens work
While the Swedish government is retreating from screens and our government is erring on the side of balance, there are two South African school networks that argue that technology, when properly integrated into a blended learning model, is the key to providing high-quality, personalized education at scale.
At Apex and Spark schools, technology is not a distraction but the primary method of content delivery, freeing teachers to focus strictly on their real work: pedagogical intervention.
Sanri Festen, head of blended learning at Apex Education (with schools in the Western Cape regions of Stellenbosch and Erste River), describes this dynamic:
“The blended learning model allows technology to introduce content for the first time and then allows the teacher and facilitators to close the learning gaps…Bringing technology into the classroom has been a huge change because now we can collect data in the moment – we have real-time data points on our students and we can respond and support them in the moment.”
This author has personal experience with the pioneering (at least in South Africa) Spark Schools version of blended learning – both of his children were subjected to it in the early stages of primary school (getting into schools in Cape Town is hard) – with good results. But CEO and co-founder Stacey Brewer explains it best:
“We were already getting scholars to divide time between digital content (which adapts in difficulty according to their learning pace) and classroom interactions based on best practice tuition.”
cost benefit
For these networks, technology is a key mechanism for making premium education affordable. Both schools justify their use of technology by stating that their blended learning models combine the best elements of technology with personalized access to excellent teachers.
This allows them to provide quality education to the communities they serve at an affordable price (between Rs 800 per month and Rs 2,000 per month – Apex is aimed at the lower end of the market compared to Spark).
South African parents know we are hungry for affordable school models for high-quality education, and Apex compares its response to the need to design an electric car from first principles rather than just fixing broken petrol cars. They also argue for bravely embracing the immense benefits of technology to achieve this goal.
On the hardware side, Spark uses Acer Chromebooks for its teaching labs, and Apex gets its Chromebooks from Asus. In both the cases, Google is the real winner as young minds are subjected to its idea of computing at the basic stage.
But the hardware battle is a topic for another day.
For the purposes of this article, at the beginning of the 2026 academic year, the Gauteng Department of Education reported that 1,381 Grade 1 learners remained unplaced, part of a total of 4,858 unplaced learners (including Grade 8).
While Sweden's heavy investment in returning to paper and textbooks is based on legitimate threats of screen distraction, cognitive load, and decreased reading comprehension, the success of Apex and Spark schools highlights a different, local reality.
South Africa has the most advanced economy on the continent, but that's not a prophylactic for emerging market tax: compromise. DM
Tech in Education Part 2 will highlight technology vendors who take advantage of this structural weakness.