{"id":50406,"date":"2026-05-07T03:56:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T19:56:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=50406"},"modified":"2026-05-07T03:56:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T19:56:43","slug":"p4-pupils-have-executive-functioning-skills-to-start-using-ai-under-supervision-desmond-lee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=50406","title":{"rendered":"P4 pupils have \u2018executive functioning skills\u2019 to start using AI under supervision: Desmond Lee"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

SINGAPORE \u2013 Primary 4 pupils possess the necessary \u201cexecutive functioning skills\u201d to begin using educational AI tools under supervision, Education Minister Desmond Lee said in Parliament on May 6. <\/p>\n

Explaining the rationale behind the age-specific roll-out, Mr Lee noted that by that age, according to research, pupils would have developed the planning abilities and self-evaluation skills required to navigate artificial intelligence responsibly. <\/p>\n

\u201cSchools will also teach students when they should not use AI, so that they do not take shortcuts to get answers without actual learning,\u201d he said, adding that pupils will also be taught how the technology works, how to be discerning about AI output, and the importance of being responsible for the content they create. <\/p>\n

Mr Lee was speaking in Parliament in response to questions from several MPs, including Mr David Hoe (Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC) and Mr Kenneth Tiong (Aljunied GRC), who asked for the rationale for introducing AI in Primary 4<\/span><\/a> and the safeguards in place. <\/p>\n

Other questions focused on issues of data privacy, teacher and parental guidance, and monitoring long-term developmental impacts. <\/p>\n

Earlier in 2026, Mr Lee said AI would be introduced gradually from Primary 4, with \u201clow exposure\u201d and supervision, prioritising learning of the fundamentals.<\/p>\n

However, the roll-out has been met with caution from some parents. While many are open to tools hosted on the Ministry of Education\u2019s (MOE) Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS), which features built-in guard rails, there are lingering fears regarding open-source models, specifically over screen time, potential over-reliance and the erosion of critical thinking skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom Primary 4, our students would have developed foundational literacy, numeracy and basic knowledge of AI in their daily lives,\u201d Mr Lee noted, whereas from Primary 1 to 3, physical hands-on learning is prioritised as pupils build foundational knowledge and develop cognitive and social skills. <\/p>\n

In the lower primary years, pupils learn about the basics of AI so they are aware of its presence, but schools will not assign any work that requires them to use AI directly, he said. <\/p>\n

Mr Lee said the ministry\u2019s approach to introducing AI is informed by research on how children learn and develop, and what is helpful at each stage of growth. <\/p>\n

\u201cTechnology, including AI, is used only when it supports educational objectives and students\u2019 development.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ministry looks at international reports as well as how other education systems are approaching the use of AI, he said. It also funds projects such as the Singapore Longitudinal Early Development Study by A*STAR,<\/span><\/a> which will start to collect data in 2027 to understand how AI usage affects children\u2019s well-being and learning outcomes. <\/p>\n

Mr Lee noted that the ministry is also working with schools to conduct short-term research to inform classroom practices. <\/p>\n

Education systems like those in China and the United Kingdom have introduced AI from Primary 1, while others like those in India or the United States start at similar ages as in Singapore or later, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMOE has chosen to take a calibrated approach informed by learning sciences, emerging research and studies conducted by practitioners and academics, and ongoing exchanges with various countries,\u201d he said, adding that the ministry\u2019s strategy is dynamic and will be adjusted as AI technology evolves.<\/p>\n

Pupils in Primary 4 to 6 will use AI-enabled tools with built-in guard rails found on SLS, said Mr Lee. These include a writing feedback assistant that redirects pupils if they go off-topic or ask irrelevant questions. <\/p>\n

These guard rails help to protect learners\u2019 interest, privacy and well-being, Mr Lee added, and data from pupils\u2019 use of MOE-built tools is anonymised and not used to train external AI models. <\/p>\n

In secondary schools, students may use AI for certain tasks but are required to state where they have used AI and cite sources of information, he said. <\/p>\n

MOE will also ensure these AI usage principles and guidelines are applied \u201cmore effectively and consistently\u201d, he said, responding to Mr Hoe\u2019s question on an article in The Straits Times which reported that a Primary 5 pupil was asked by a teacher to use ChatGPT for his homework. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf the tool has an age restriction, then we will not use it for children below that age, simple as that,\u201d Mr Lee said, adding that the ministry will look into a meaningful and scalable way to let parents trial MOE\u2019s AI tools. <\/p>\n

Parents should also start having early conversations with their children about what AI is, on top of guidelines by ministries on digital usage at home, said Mr Lee, responding to Ms Cassandra Lee (West Coast-Jurong West GRC), who asked if MOE would consider \u201cAI nutrition labels\u201d and if stand-alone AI tools should have default age-based protections. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs parents, I know it\u2019s a lot on our plate, but we want to be able to do our best for our children and guide them as they interact with all these things at home and in their toys,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I think that\u2019s a conversation that\u2019s best started as young as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Non-Constituency MP Eileen Chong and Dr Charlene Chen (Tampines GRC) raised concerns about equity, how disadvantaged students might use AI as a crutch without proper parental guidance, and whether those with special educational needs (SEN) were accounted for in the AI curriculum and use of AI tools. <\/p>\n

Mr Lee said SEN officers, teachers and counsellors will be able to support students with special educational needs, and the same goes for those from vulnerable families. <\/p>\n

He said AI tools are not used to check on the well-being of students. \u201cThat is the sole domain of our educators, MOE staff, but we use it on the cognitive front to help our children, and when it comes to children from more vulnerable families, if there are specific issues that may impact their use of AI in learning, then our schools will specifically support them and scaffold for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to Ms Chong, Mr Lee noted that the issue of equity is \u201cevergreen\u201d and extends beyond AI to a broader range of challenges faced by less privileged children.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about children in less privileged backgrounds not having the same amount of scaffolding and support at home and outside school on a whole range of issues, and we have different approaches to handling that,\u201d he said, citing initiatives like ComLink+ and the Opportunity Fund.<\/p>\n

He added that MOE is building AI literacy among its students in the hope that it will be the \u201cbest defence\u201d for them to use technology mindfully, regardless of their background. <\/p>\n

Mr Lee said the ministry will work closely with community partners that provide essential homework support and guidance outside of school hours to ensure that \u201cappropriate AI use\u201d is reinforced for these students. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have self-help groups that come in to provide support for children over and beyond what\u2019s available in school,\u201d said Mr Lee. \u201cThat is a partnership we must tap and continue to build, particularly when it comes to supporting them on appropriate AI use.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\n
Read Full Article At Source <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SINGAPORE \u2013 Primary 4 pupils possess the necessary \u201cexecutive functioning skills\u201d to begin using educational AI tools under supervision, Education Minister Desmond Lee said in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=50406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/50407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=50406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=50406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=50406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}