From Alignment to Implementation: Governing AI Literacy as a Coordinated National Capability in Progressive GULF Education Systems
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Artificial intelligence literacy has become a strategic priority for education systems preparing learners for workforce participation, civic engagement, and responsible interaction with emerging technologies.In progressive Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) education systems, the enabling conditions for large-scale adoption are largely in place, including digital infrastructure, policy direction, quality assurance systems, and post-pandemic digital maturity.The constraint on scale is coordination: policy, educator development, institutional practice, and monitoring are advancing in parallel without a shared architecture.This article argues that AI literacy must be governed as a coordinated national capability and treated as national educational infrastructure, subject to the standards, accountability, and continuity expected of other public systems.Drawing on regional findings and contemporary literature, the analysis identifies three system priorities: coordinated governance across regulatory bodies, a unified and tiered educator competency framework, and national readiness and monitoring mechanisms that disaggregate outcomes by learner group, including People of Determination.The article proposes a governance architecture that assigns standard-setting to a central coordination mechanism, embeds AI literacy expectations within existing accreditation and inspection instruments, and assigns execution to institutions through a staged readiness model and phased implementation.
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W7216576907