Artificial Intelligence, Educational Transformation, and Equity Implications for Nigerian Secondary Schools

This study examines the transformative potential and equity implications of artificial intelligence adoption in Nigerian secondary schools, developing an original theoretical framework for AI-mediated educational transformation that centres equity as the foundational evaluation criterion. Artificial intelligence tools in education, including adaptive learning platforms, intelligent tutoring systems, automated assessment, and AI-assisted lesson planning, offer significant potential for improving instructional quality and personalisation. However, their introduction into education systems characterised by deep digital inequality risks exacerbating rather than reducing educational disparity. Nigeria, with one of the world's largest out-of-school populations and significant urban-rural digital infrastructure divides, presents an acute equity challenge context. This study employs a critical futures research design, combining systematic review of 60 studies on AI in education in low and middle-income country contexts, qualitative field research in 20 secondary schools across urban Lagos and rural Katsina and Cross River States assessing current digital infrastructure and AI tool readiness, and Delphi consultation with 30 Nigerian AI, education policy, and equity experts. An original AI Education Equity Transformation Framework is developed, specifying conditions for equitable AI adoption including infrastructure thresholds, teacher competency requirements, content localisation standards, and governance safeguards. Results reveal that current AI education adoption in Nigeria is concentrated in elite private schools, and unchecked market-driven AI adoption will widen the educational quality gap. The study recommends a national AI in Education equity governance framework with mandatory rural access provisions, Nigerian-language content requirements, and public funding for AI tools in public schools.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, educational equity, digital transformation, secondary school, Nigeria.