Joe Dinga Pefok (Uncle Joe)In Cameroon, The Minister Of Basic Education, Prof Etoundi Ngoa, Has Banned The Use Of AI In Nursery And Primary Schools. The Secretary Of State For Basic Education, Kilo Vivian Asheri, Has Disclosed That Teachers Complained That An Increasing Number of Children In Primary Schools Were Becoming Lazy And Dull, Because Of Their Dependence On AI To Do Assignments.
The British multinational financial institution, Barclays Bank, said to be some 300 years old, on Thursday, October 22, 2026, announced a plan beginning this end of year, to layoff as many as a total of 5000 workers (five thousand jobs) at its headquarter in London, the bank’s branches in Britain, and the bank’s subsidiaries in different parts of the world. A majority of the 5000 workers that will be laid off are in Britain. The layoffs that will begin by the end of this year, will, run over a period of time.
Meanwhile, the total of 5000 workers to be laid off by Barclays Bank will be replaced by Artificial Intelligence, AI. This means that Artificial Intelligence will take over the jobs, or will be brought in to do the work that the 5000 workers of Barclays Bank, that will be laid off, have been doing over the years. So Artificial Intelligence is to take over some of the jobs in the bank that, have over the years been done by human beings.
The Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of Barclays Banks, said in London on Thursday, October 22, 2026, that the bank has invested much in technology, that is, Artificial Intelligence, and it is now time to start using the technology. The expectation of Barclays Bank, is that the use of AI to do some of the jobs being done by human beings, will not only modernize work at the bank, but will cut down costs.
As for the category of workers to be laid off, Barclays Bank has explained that staffs of the bank that work at the bank’s counters (front office), will not be included in the 5000 workers to be laid off. So customers of Barclays Bank will continue to threat with human beings at the bank’s counters. Also, workers that deal with the sale of the bank’s products will not be affected by the layoffs. All the 5000 workers to be laid off will be part of the staffs of Barclays Bank that work at the back office. These are the staffs that work in the bank’s back office, which is like the engine or the power house of the bank. They normally do not treat directly with the public or with customers.
Basic Education Minister Bans Use Of Artificial Intelligence By Pupils, And In Schools
Meanwhile in Cameroon, the Minister of Basic Education, Prof Etoundi Ngoa Laurent Serge, recently issued instruction banning the use of Artificial Intelligence by primary and nursery school pupils, as well as its use in schools by teachers.
The Secretary of State for Basic Education, Madam Kilo Vivian Asheri, explained last week to the State media, CRTV, that the ministry received an increasing number of complaints from teachers in the field, that an increasing number pupils in primary schools were becoming lazy and dull, because of their dependence on Artificial Intelligence to do assignments. Assignments are meant for teachers to assess whether pupils are following up with lessons being thought.
But as the Secretary of State disclosed, teachers had come to realize that when they give assignments, children that have the means or facilities at home to access to AI, will just simply get to AI to provide answers to the questions, and they copy, instead of the children using their brains to do their homework. Teachers also came to realize that an increasing number of pupils especially those in cities or towns, were increasingly depending on Ai to do their assignments.
To begin with, it was often observed by teachers that the answers that pupils using AI to do assignments, would write down, though right, were seen to be beyond the normal capacity of children in primary school. And then worse of it, when such a pupil is called up in class by his or her teacher, to explain an answer to a question to pupils who did not have it right in the assignment, the child would become tongue tight, meaning that he or she did not even understand what he or she copied from AI as answer to the question.
