AI Feared to Encourage Student Laziness; Education Minister Promotes Handwriting Practice in Schools
Minister of Basic and Secondary Education Abdul Mu’ti has responded to concerns that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) among students could trigger intellectual laziness. According to him, the government recognises this potential risk and has prepared a learning approach that combines modern technology with conventional methods.
He explained that the use of technology in schools will not operate in isolation, but rather be integrated with learning activities that demand direct critical thinking and creativity from students.
“We are combining this with learning models that are, in quotation marks, conventional or traditional,” said Abdul Mu’ti at the office of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development, Thursday (12 March).
One measure being taken is to reactivate handwriting activities in the learning process. For example, students can watch learning material through digital devices such as interactive screens or videos, but the results of their learning are still expressed in the form of hand-written summaries.
“So for instance, students can watch learning through interactive screens that are available. They watch films or perhaps learning in the form of videos and other presentations. But later they create a summary by hand-writing,” he said.
Additionally, the pattern of assigning tasks to students is being directed to emphasise reading and writing activities, rather than merely completing questions as has frequently been found in student worksheets (LKS).
According to him, the method of task-based questioning often raises doubts about who is actually doing the homework. He believes that student assignments are often completed by parents or private tutors instead.
“It could be their parents, or perhaps their private tutors. But if they are writing by hand, it is impossible for parents to do it, impossible for private tutors to do it. Now we are starting to return to that approach,” he insisted.
With this approach, the government seeks to balance the use of modern learning technology with teaching methods that emphasise authentic student abilities in thinking, understanding ideas, and expressing them through writing.
He also believes that handwriting activities have broader benefits, not only in developing ideas but also in training students’ motor skills.
“Writing does not only develop ideas in written form, but also trains motor skills so that they can also remain active in movement. Because if you use a mobile phone, only two fingers are involved, these (hands) do not move,” he said.
According to him, handwriting activities involve more complex movements that help develop children’s motor skills.
“When writing, everything moves, the hand moves, so there is synergy. And there are many studies that support how we can continue to improve such matters,” he concluded.