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.
