AI in education: what South African schools and universities say

AI in education is moving faster than the rulebooks in South Africa. Learners and students already use ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude for homework and assignments, teachers use them to plan lessons, and universities have spent the past two years writing policies. Schools, though, still have no national AI guideline. This guide sets out what the Department of Basic Education and the big universities actually say, how to use AI honestly, and where the line with cheating sits.

AI in education in South Africa at a glance

AI in schools: what the Department of Basic Education says

As at 28 September 2026 we could not find a published DBE policy or guideline on the use of AI in schools. In July 2026, Leadership magazine reported that the DBE’s 2026 digital education update referred to work on a national AI in education framework, stressing that teachers should be equipped rather than replaced and that AI must sit alongside legal, ethical and data protection rules. Until a framework appears, each school sets its own rules.

AI is already in the curriculum, though. The DBE’s 2025 practical assessment task for Grade 12 Computer Applications Technology was about the ethical use of AI, asking learners to research its good and bad effects in a sector of their choice. The same task spells out the integrity rules every learner should know: you may not submit work that is not your own, copy from sources without acknowledging them, or get help without saying so.

What South African universities say about AI

UCT. In June 2025 UCT’s Senate Teaching and Learning Committee endorsed an AI in Education Framework built on three pillars: AI literacy for staff and students, assessment integrity, and investment in AI-enabled teaching. UCT also stopped using Turnitin’s AI score from 1 October 2025. Its reason: detectors are unreliable, flagging some human writing as AI and missing some AI writing, which risks unfairness to students.

Wits. Wits has a university-wide AI policy and separate guidelines from faculties such as Commerce, Law and Management, Engineering, Health Sciences, Humanities and Science. Students must disclose and acknowledge AI use, lecturers decide which uses are allowed in each task, and using AI does not excuse plagiarism, fabrication or false attribution. Wits also tells students not to put sensitive or personal data into public AI systems.

University of Pretoria. UP’s library guidance, updated on 28 August 2026, says the work you submit must be your own thinking, analysis and writing. It lists acceptable uses such as brainstorming, grammar checks on your own writing, finding search keywords and explaining concepts to yourself. It prohibits submitting AI-generated text without permission and disclosure, using AI in exams or assessments, and citing references that AI made up. Module outlines take priority, and if an assignment says nothing about AI, UP says to treat it as prohibited.

Stellenbosch. Stellenbosch’s Senate approved a position statement on the ethical use of AI in research and teaching on 22 November 2024, in force from 1 January 2025 and published in English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa. It says use of generative AI to produce content must be fully disclosed, including its purpose, and that declaring AI use does not remove your responsibility for the accuracy of the work.

Honest uses of AI for teachers

• Planning. Draft lesson plans, then check them against CAPS and your own judgement.
• Differentiation. Ask for the same worksheet at three reading levels, or extra practice for learners who are behind.
• Explanations. Get a concept explained in simpler words, or in Afrikaans or isiZulu; our guide to AI in Afrikaans covers which tools handle which languages.
• Admin. Draft letters to parents, meeting notes and rubrics.

Keep learners’ personal information out of public AI tools. Under POPIA, children’s information has extra protection and processing it generally needs the prior consent of a parent or guardian. Use made-up or anonymised examples instead of real names and marks. Schools and colleges that want AI in their admin rather than in the classroom are a different job; Zaiq’s AI automation work covers that kind of project.

Honest uses of AI for students

Used well, AI is a patient tutor. Ask it to explain a difficult idea another way, to quiz you before a test, or to point out weaknesses in a draft you wrote yourself, if your course allows it. Always check what it tells you against your notes and textbook, and never copy a reference from AI without finding the source yourself: AI tools can invent articles that do not exist, and UP explicitly treats made-up references as misconduct.

Academic integrity: what counts as cheating

Across the policies above, the lines are consistent:

1. Undisclosed AI work. Submitting AI-generated text or analysis as your own, without permission and disclosure, is misconduct.
2. AI in closed assessments. Using AI during a test or exam that does not allow it.
3. Fake references. Citing sources that AI invented, or that you never read.
4. Ignoring the course rules. Lecturers set what is allowed; when the rules are silent, ask first.

How AI detectors are used, and their limits

Turnitin, the plagiarism-checking software used by universities including UCT and UP, also offers an AI writing indicator. Turnitin itself says its model can misidentify both human and AI writing and that the score “should not be used as the sole basis for adverse actions against a student”. UP’s guidance says lecturers see the indicator next to the similarity score, while UCT switched it off entirely.

Study artificial intelligence in South Africa

If AI itself is your subject, Wits offers an MSc in Artificial Intelligence, taking one year of coursework and one year of research full time, with applications closing on 30 November. UCT offers an AI major in computer science and a master’s degree with a specialisation in AI. For shorter routes, including free online courses and university short courses with rand prices, see our guide to AI courses in South Africa, and for the careers they lead to, AI jobs in South Africa.