Category: Education & Technology

Homework in the Age of AI: Does It Still Make Sense?

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Reflective classroom perspective + practical ways forward

In recent classroom visits and conversations with teachers I mentor, a pattern keeps emerging. Students in secondary classes are handing in homework that looks complete and correct. Yet when teachers try to discuss that homework in class the next day, many students struggle to explain what they actually understand.

At first glance, it seems like homework is working; notebooks look good, and assignments are done on time. But the deeper question is: Are students really learning?

Many students now admit that homework, which once took an hour, can be finished in minutes using AI tools on their phones. This pressure to “get work done fast” is creating a new classroom reality. Teachers are unsure how to respond. Parents are relieved homework is done, but can’t tell whether real learning is happening.

This situation has made me reflect deeply:
➡ If homework is getting completed but understanding is not growing, does traditional homework still serve its purpose in today’s secondary classrooms?

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Why Do Some Lessons Stay with Us and Others Disappear After Exams?

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Rethinking Learning in our classrooms through Made to Stick

Recently, I revisited Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, and one idea hit close to home for our classrooms in Pakistan, the Curse of Knowledge.

Once we know something, we forget what it felt like not to know it. And that’s where communication often breaks down.

In many of our classrooms, teachers explain concepts from an expert’s perspective, while students are still trying to understand the basics. The result? Students memorise, pass exams, and then forget everything.

The book reminds us that ideas stick when they are:

  • Simple
  • Unexpected
  • Concrete
  • Credible
  • Emotional
  • Story-driven

And when we look honestly at our classrooms, we must ask: How many of our lessons are actually designed to stick?

Because if learning disappears after exams, then something in the system needs to be rethought.

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AI Is Already in Our Classrooms. Are Our Learning Practices Ready?

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Reflections on Generative AI, Learning, and What the Pakistan Education System Must Rethink

Artificial intelligence did not wait for policy approvals, curriculum updates, or teacher training workshops. It entered classrooms quietly through homework help, essay drafts, exam preparation, and late-night study sessions. Long before schools decided what to do about it, students had already figured out how to use it.

In Pakistan, this reality feels especially sharp. Our education system has always rewarded correct answers more than deep understanding. In such a context, generative AI can easily become a powerful shortcut, producing fluent responses without necessarily strengthening learning. The risk is not that students are using AI. The risk lies in how they use it and in what our systems encourage them to value.

This is why the OECD Digital Education Outlook 2026: Exploring Effective Uses of Generative AI in Education deserves careful attention. Rather than celebrating AI as a solution or warning against it as a threat, the report offers a more uncomfortable insight: improved performance does not automatically mean improved learning. In some cases, it may even hide learning loss.

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Not ‘Mazaaq’: Bullying & Cyberbullying in Pakistan, How It Hurts Our Students and What Schools Can Do Better

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

There’s a moment many teachers recognise. A student who used to raise their hand is now sitting quietly. A confident child begins asking, ‘May I go to the washroom?’ as soon as group work starts. Someone’s attendance slips from Monday to Wednesday, then a full week. When you finally ask, softly, ‘Kya masla hai?’ you often get the same answer: ‘Nothing, miss/sir. Bas… aise hi.’

In our schools across Pakistan, bullying rarely arrives as a clear headline. It shows up like a fog: small comments, private jokes, class WhatsApp groups, a nickname that becomes a label, a photo edited and shared, a voice note forwarded ‘for fun.’ The child keeps going to school, but something inside them stops feeling safe.

And that’s the real issue: bullying isn’t only about a bad moment. It’s about a student’s sense of safety, belonging, and izzat.

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Why Do Teens Leave School? A Simple Reflection on Gender, Culture & Education in Pakistan

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Every child deserves to learn with confidence, feel safe while travelling to school, and dream about a bright future. But for many teenagers in Pakistan, especially girls living in rural areas, staying in school becomes more challenging as they grow older. When a girl drops out, her education doesn’t just pause; her opportunities, independence, and future possibilities shrink with it.

In this reflective piece, I aim to explore why many adolescent girls drop out of school and how parents, teachers, and communities can collaborate to support their continued learning.

What the numbers show and what families feel

Research from the World Bank highlights that girls in rural Pakistan face the highest dropout rates due to poverty, early marriage, unsafe travel, and lack of school facilities. Challenges and Solutions for Girls’ Education in Pakistan.

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AI, School Stress, and the New Classroom: How Technology Is Reshaping Education in Pakistan

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali
AI Generted Image for Think Chalk blog

In the winding corridors of our schools, whether in Karachi, Lahore, or a remote village in Sindh or Balochistan, echoes of chalk on slate and the crack of old benches still dominate the classroom. As a teacher-mentor, I often reflect on the immense pressures our children face: cramming for board exams, rote learning, large class sizes, and limited time with overworked teachers. Now, as artificial intelligence (AI) begins to infiltrate global classrooms, the question arises: Could AI transform education in Pakistan and if so, how?

In this article, I explore the promise and the perils of AI in Pakistani schools. I try to see it through the eyes of concerned parents, busy teachers, and hopeful students, rooted in South Asian realities.

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