About
What is the Ministry of Education AI Challenge?
The EdTech Hub’s AI Observatory worked directly with six education ministries to explore practical applications of AI to strengthen service delivery, assess risks and opportunities, and share evidence on what works to support more equitable learning outcomes.
Our hypothesis is simple: if ministries and district officials are equipped to use AI effectively, they can deliver more with less, faster, ultimately narrowing the learning divide. Teams across Kenya, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines built and tested real-world solutions tailored to their priorities, from malnutrition screening to policy knowledge management to data quality improvements, generating evidence on whether and how AI can help education systems work better.
Read the full story behind the ChallengeAbout This Interview Series
This series profiles the AI experts who worked with Ministry teams to build solutions in each of the six countries. We asked them where they came from, what drew them to this work, some of the challenges they faced, and what they’d do next if given the time and resources. The interviews are lightly edited for clarity.
Jump to the storiesWho Is This Series For?
- Ministries of education and government teams exploring whether and how to bring AI into service delivery.
- Officials considering how AI might scale beyond a single pilot, into something that works across districts and systems.
- Education technologists and partners building or commissioning AI-powered products for the public sector.
- Researchers and donors tracking what real-world evidence on AI in education is starting to show.
The Stories
Editorial Q&A interviews with the people leading AI work inside ministries of education.
Sam Waweru, Kenya
THE ENGINEER WHO STARTED WITH THE DATA
Sam Waweru helped Kenya’s Ministry of Education build a system to clean and de-duplicate records across the country’s schools. He built from the ground up, with a clear belief that getting the data right is fundamental when building AI solutions.
Read the interviewKarl Satinitigan, Philippines
THE BROKER BETWEEN THE SCIENTISTS AND THE STATE
Karl Satinitigan is not a coder. His job on the Philippines team was the human work around the technology: the trust and the politics that decide whether a government AI tool ever gets used.
Read the interviewMohamed Alpha, Sierra Leone
THE GRADUATE WHO BROUGHT AI TO SIERRA LEONE’S MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
How Mohamed Alpha built an AI chatbot for the Ministry of Education, and came to argue that the data and infrastructure beneath a tool matter more than the tool itself.
Read the interviewA new interview arrives every two weeks from July to September 2026, introducing you to all six AI experts. Check back, or subscribe to our monthly newsletter so you don’t miss one.
Stories From Six Countries
We’re bringing you interviews from experts involved in the Challenge across six countries. Click a country to read the story.
- KenyaLive now
- PhilippinesLive now
- PakistanComing soon
- NigeriaComing soon
- Sierra LeoneLive now
- BangladeshComing soon
Pins are positioned approximately. Clicking a country on the map, or a link in the list, sends visitors to that country’s story link.
More from the AI Observatory & Action Lab
This series sits within the AI Observatory, part of the EdTech Hub tracking what real-world evidence on AI in education is starting to show. Explore Learning Briefs, the Community of Interest with the World Bank, and more.
EdTech Hub’s AI Observatory is made possible with the support of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
