Our two largest national budgets—healthcare and education—are inextricably linked. As the saying goes, “the health of a nation is the wealth of a nation.” A society’s ability to learn, innovate, and thrive depends fundamentally on the well-being of its people, just as the strength of its health system is sustained by an educated workforce capable of advancing medicine, policy, and social care. When these two pillars are aligned and adequately supported, they generate a cycle of national resilience, productivity, and prosperity.
That stability has always been under threat, particularly in recent history. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of our health and education systems, stretching national resources and forcing societies to adapt overnight. Now, as we move deeper into this decade, we face an even more existential challenge — the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Much has been written across global media about AI’s disruptive potential, especially its impact on employment. The numbers tell a sobering story:
By mid-2025, the scale of AI-driven disruption had become undeniable. In August 2025, CBS News reported that more than 27,000 U.S. job cuts since 2023 were directly linked to AI, with the technology sector experiencing the sharpest reductions. Just a month earlier, Fortune revealed that over 10,000 jobs were lost in July 2025 alone due to AI adoption — underscoring not only the scale, but also the accelerating pace at which automation is reshaping workplace realities.
The trajectory is clear: what began as isolated disruptions is now evolving into a systemic reconfiguration of labor markets. For nations like ours, where healthcare and education are the backbone of stability, the ripple effects of AI could either undermine resilience or — if strategically harnessed — become a powerful enabler of progress.
Responding to this global shift begins with acknowledging that the technological storm is already upon us, not pretending it will somehow change course. On September 5th, the Chief Education Officer announced that, starting this new school year, mobile phones would be permitted in secondary schools for senior classes.
Yet, I also recognize the other elephant in the room — the deep, and at times venomous, resistance to disrupting the status quo. Too many of our educational leaders continue to believe that technology and AI should not, and perhaps will not, significantly impact education. This mindset, if left unchallenged, is dangerous and risks leaving us unprepared for the very future that is already here.
As a father of two daughters, I have felt this reality at home as well. My younger daughter, now beginning her secondary school journey, asked me less than a year ago: “Daddy, if AI can do everything, what jobs will be left for me when I graduate from school?” When I turned the question back to her, she answered with striking clarity: “Nothing that they’re going to teach me is going to help me get a job if AI is already doing those jobs.”
Her words capture what many in leadership still refuse to confront — that our children are already grappling with the implications of technology, especially AI, often more directly and honestly than policymakers or educators.
Too many remain trapped in the belief that the future will resemble the world they know, clinging to familiar models rather than confronting the seismic shifts already underway. In doing so, educators are effectively mortgaging our children’s future on the assumptions of their past — a stance that is not only shortsighted but deeply unfair.
If national discussions on technology, AI, and the future of work are not convened — particularly between the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Educational Transformation — the reality we face is stark.
First, our workforce will drift further out of sync with the demands of the global economy. While other nations embed AI literacy, digital skills, and adaptive learning models into their curricula, our graduates risk entering the world of work with outdated competencies, unable to compete for high-value roles and increasingly relegated to the margins of a technology-driven economy. Second, we risk entrenching a cycle of dependency and inequality. Businesses will be forced to import talent or outsource critical functions, bleeding resources abroad instead of cultivating local expertise. Those with access to private or overseas education will thrive, while the majority are left behind, widening both social and economic divides. Finally, our healthcare and development sectors will grow dangerously brittle. With an underprepared workforce, we will struggle to integrate AI in ways that could strengthen public health, improve service delivery, and drive innovation. Instead of reducing inefficiencies and costs, we will face higher burdens, limited capacity, and widening health disparities.
Confronting these risks requires urgency and vision. Two immediate priorities stand out:
- Launch a National AI Literacy and Digital Skills Initiative Every student, from primary through tertiary education, should graduate with a baseline understanding of AI, data, and digital tools. This is not about turning everyone into programmers; it is about ensuring that every citizen — whether nurse, teacher, lawyer, or entrepreneur — can work alongside technology rather than be displaced by it. Such literacy will also help demystify AI, empowering students to see it as a tool rather than a threat.
- Forge Stronger Partnerships Between Labour, Education, and Industry No single ministry can solve this challenge alone. The Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Educational Transformation must work hand-in-hand with employers, healthcare institutions, and technology providers to align training with real market needs. Apprenticeships, reskilling programs, and continuous professional development should become central pillars of the national strategy. By creating feedback loops between industry and education, we can ensure that what students learn translates into meaningful, future-ready opportunities.
Children, meanwhile, intuitively recognize that the old frameworks of education — designed for an industrial age — cannot simply be patched or slightly modernized. For them, the future of work is not an abstract policy debate but a looming personal reality. This generational awareness should be a wake-up call. If our students can already see that the ground beneath them is shifting, then surely it is the duty of our institutions to respond with urgency, foresight, and courage. To ignore their voices is not merely to fail them — it is to condemn our society to playing catch-up in a race we cannot afford to lose.