Bridging the Digital Divide: Artificial Intelligence in the Administration of Public and Private Elementary Schools

Abstract

The impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on public and organizational life has been so profound that it has begun to affect how schools are managed; however, empirical evidence on the administrative uses of AI remains scarce, especially in developing countries. The study aimed to investigate the level of AI adoption in the administration of public and private elementary schools in District Kasur, Pakistan, and to compare the two sectors in terms of adoption levels, perceived benefits, and challenges. Mixed methods were used, and a structured five-point Likert questionnaire was used with 250 respondents (125 teachers from public schools and 125 teachers from private schools), which included school administrators, head teachers, IT coordinators, and senior teachers, as well as semi-structured interviews with 10-15 teachers who were school administrators. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and an independent-samples t-test, while the interview data were analyzed thematically to triangulate with the survey data. Findings showed that the private schools had significantly higher AI adoption than the public schools (t = 3.85, p = .001) and their perception of benefits (t = 3.42, p = .002), while the two sectors had similar challenges (t = 1.24, p = .217), most importantly funding issues, limited technical training, and concerns around data privacy. This study indicates that the implementation of AI in primary school management is unevenly distributed, with greater willingness to adopt AI and the availability of resources as key factors. Policy implications, practice implications and directions for further research are discussed.