AI readiness and leadership

Writing on AI readiness for schools and school systems. Start with the pillar guide: AI Readiness for Schools: A Practical Framework for African and Global South Contexts. Pillar guide: Sovereign AI for Education Systems: A Practical Guide for Ministries. For teacher training: How to Design AI Professional Development That Changes Practice.

What 28 AI Readiness Assessments Reveal About Schools in Ghana

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Part of: AI Readiness for Schools: A Practical Framework for African and Global South Contexts, which explains the framework behind these results and how to use it.

On 21 February 2026, I ran AI readiness workshops with school leaders at Cambridge International Schools Day in Accra, Ghana. Twenty-four schools completed an AI Readiness Framework, a self-assessment tool that scores schools across five dimensions of AI preparedness. Twenty-eight responses were collected in total, as several schools had more than one participant complete the assessment.

The results tell a clear story. Schools are investing in hardware and tools. They are not investing in the governance and policy structures needed to use them well.

Niall McNulty running an AI readiness workshop for schools in Accra

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The question is not which AI tools to buy

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What 200 school leaders in Ghana taught me about AI readiness

“How many of you have a written AI policy for your school?”

I asked this to a room of 200 school principals and senior leaders at Cambridge International Schools Day in Accra, Ghana. A handful of hands went up. Maybe ten. In a room of 200.

That ratio is not unusual. In a 2023 UNESCO survey of over 450 schools and universities, fewer than 10% had developed institutional policies or formal guidance on generative AI. The numbers have likely improved since, but not by much. Meanwhile, RAND’s 2025 survey of US schools found that more than half of teachers are now using AI for planning, feedback, and content. College Board research puts the figure even higher for students: 84% of high school students reported using generative AI for schoolwork by mid-2025.

The gap between what we have planned for and what is already happening. That’s what this session was about.

Niall on-stage at the Cambridge International Schools Day in Accra, Ghana

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Your School Isn’t Behind on AI. You Just Don’t Have a Map Yet.

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A practical readiness framework for international schools in Sub-Saharan Africa

I spend a lot of time talking to school leaders about AI. Principals in Zimbabwe and South Africa, heads of school in Kuwait, curriculum directors in the UAE. The conversation almost always starts the same way: “We know we should be doing something. We just don’t know what.”

It’s not a lack of intelligence or ambition. These are people running complex institutions, managing multilingual communities, navigating international curricula, and doing it across infrastructure realities that range from fibre-connected campuses to schools where the Wi-Fi drops out twice a day. What they lack isn’t capability. It’s a map.

Niall McNulty

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AI in Education: Lessons from Kuwait

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Part of: How to Design AI Professional Development That Changes Practice, a guide to AI training that lasts beyond the workshop.

What happens when educators move beyond the hype and get practical about AI in the classroom?

Last week, I was in Kuwait for four days of intensive AI training with Cambridge University Press & Assessment, Educate Ventures Research, and Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS). It was the final in-person sessions for a cohort who had already completed three months of hybrid learning – and the energy in the room showed just how far they’d come.

The participants were teachers, trainers and educators from across primary, secondary and higher education. What brought them together was a shared question: how can AI genuinely support better teaching and learning?

Carla Aerts leading a session with teachers.

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Building Sovereign AI Infrastructure for Education: UNICEF Innovation Camp Workshop

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Part of: Sovereign AI for Education Systems: A Practical Guide for Ministries, a guide to the decisions, infrastructure options and roadmap for ministries.

In October 2025, I was invited by UNICEF to design and deliver an AI in Education workshop for their Learning Pioneers Programme, bringing together education ministry leaders from 14 countries at the Innovation Camp in Helsinki. The session tackled a critical challenge: how can resource-constrained education systems harness AI’s potential without compromising cultural sovereignty, breaking budgets, or replacing educators?

Niall McNulty at the UNICEF Innovation Camp, 2025

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Designing a 24-Week AI Training Programme for Professional Development

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Part of: How to Design AI Professional Development That Changes Practice, a guide to AI training that lasts beyond the workshop.

Lessons from Cambridge

Developing organisational AI capability requires more than ad-hoc workshops. This article documents the design and implementation of a comprehensive 24-week AI training programme at Cambridge University Press and Assessment, demonstrating how structured, bite-sized learning can transform busy professionals from “AI curious” to “AI confident” whilst maintaining their daily work commitments.

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When AI Meets Human Potential: Insights from Azerbaijan’s Digital Pioneer

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A fascinating conversation about reshaping education and workforce development in the age of artificial intelligence

I had the privilege of moderating a thought-provoking fireside chat with Fariz Jafarov at Baku ID, and it left me with plenty to think about regarding the future of work and learning. Fariz brings a unique perspective to these conversations – he’s not just theorising about digital transformation; he’s been orchestrating it across Azerbaijan for over a decade.

As Executive Director of C4IR Azerbaijan, part of the World Economic Forum’s global network focusing on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Fariz is at the coalface of national AI strategy. His previous role as Director General of the e-Government Development Center saw him develop transformative platforms like ASAN Visa and myGov, fundamentally changing how millions of citizens interact with government services. This earned him Azerbaijan’s State Medal of Progress, which speaks volumes about the real-world impact of his work.

Niall McNulty with Fariz Jafarov

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Building AI Readiness in the Global South

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The digital divide isn’t just about access to technology – it’s increasingly about the ability to use artificial intelligence meaningfully within education systems. As emerging economies consider AI adoption, we need models that speak to their specific contexts rather than imposing approaches designed for high-resource environments.

Current approaches to AI readiness often miss crucial realities faced by education systems in the Global South. These models rarely account for intermittent connectivity, varied infrastructure landscapes, or the distinctive cultural contexts that shape how technology is implemented and received. When I’ve observed technology integration across different regions, the most common failure occurs not from lack of interest, but from approaches that don’t acknowledge local constraints and opportunities.

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Cambridge’s Vision for AI in Education

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Transforming Classrooms and Societies

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, education stands at the forefront of societal transformation. In a presentation delivered in Karachi by Niall McNulty, Product Lead for Education Futures, Cambridge outlined a forward-thinking vision for integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into teaching and learning. This article explores the key concepts, challenges, and opportunities identified in that presentation, providing a comprehensive look at how AI is reshaping educational practices around the globe.

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