23 February 2023

Dear Parents and Students,

With its number of users exceeding 100 million, ChatGPT has become a hot topic of conversation. Generative Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is based on a large language model, with hundreds of billions of functions, and the use of supercomputer calculations to generate data after your dialogue with it. It makes you feel as if you are having a conversation with a knowledgeable person, someone that can answer every question you ask. Of course, at this early stage the answers are not yet fully convincing, so personal judgment is still needed. However, as it develops in the coming years, what effects will artificial intelligence have on our lives, and how should it change the education model?

Well, it is like having a personal assistant to complete your tasks, make arrangements and solve your daily problems. Moreover, it can be used as a self-learning platform to provide personalized learning modes, plans and topics according to one's own learning style, progress and interests. It can also provide corresponding learning materials according to students' learning progress and needs, and provide support and feedback for improvement, to internalize information into knowledge. Moreover, artificial intelligence can analyze a large amount of data. As long as you learn how to ask specific questions, you will find the answer you are looking for, unlike Google, which may not be able to find the information needed in such a database. As AI technology advances, we can expect more applications and innovations in the future.

As with most technological advancements, the upsides come with downsides, and in this case it is especially true with the current education model. Schools mostly use paper and pencil for assessment, and the establishment of a knowledge base is the core of education. In the days to come, combining this knowledge base with the correct skills and attitude is the key to further advancement. Only when the field of knowledge has been expanded and improved, and infinite possibilities have been created, along with continuous research, can education and reality become a balanced time and space. Recently, there has been concern in the education sector regarding plagiarism in ChatGPT. Some universities have even prohibited students from using ChatGPT software without the consent of an instructor, and even treat students who use the software to submit homework as potential cases of plagiarism. This is a very practical problem since artificial intelligence has hundreds of billions of functions, and it is difficult to know whether a student's homework, project, composition, or creation is original or plagiarized. A school's assessment methods are paramount to the current education model. Plus, correcting AI generated homework would be a waste of a teacher’s time, as it would have no effect on students' learning.

Therefore, school education should not only pay attention to the imparting of knowledge, but more importantly, the six facets of an all-round education which are the moral, academic, physical, social, aesthetic and spiritual development of our students, so as to train them to become well-rounded members of society. Schools should empower them with the confidence and resilience needed to face life's challenges. By focusing on these aspects, we can help students develop positive values and attitudes in addition to faith, hope and love from God, such as perseverance, respect for others, responsibility, national identity, commitment, integrity, caring for others, obeying the law, empathy,

hard work, etc. It helps students understand the importance of contributing to society, serving others, and using their skills and knowledge to bring a positive impact to the world. This is the importance of schooling over artificial intelligence.

We hope our students will work hard to expand their horizons and face the challenges of the new era that is the 21st century.


Best regards,
Constance Cheung
Principal



“Those who sow in tears shall harvest with joyful shouting.”
(Psalm 126:5)