February 2026: Classroom-First Shifts in AI, Language Learning, and Learner Support
Schools across the Asia-Pacific region are undergoing significant change. Artificial intelligence is moving from informal student use into structured curriculum design. Early language learning is expanding faster than many systems can staff effectively. At the same time, education leaders are paying closer attention to the conditions that influence motivation, resilience, and long-term learning.
VnExpress: Vietnam to pilot AI teaching across grades 1-12 [Article]
Vietnam is introducing AI within a formal national framework, with teacher training scheduled to begin in February. This article outlines multiple instructional models under consideration, including integration into existing subjects, standalone topics, and experiential formats, such as clubs.
A central feature of the pilot is its emphasis on integration. Embedding AI into subjects that students are already studying allows it to strengthen research habits, deepen problem-solving, and support digital literacy without positioning AI as a competing discipline. The article also highlights familiar classroom risks, such as accuracy, privacy, data security, and reduced human interaction, and addresses the importance of clear guidance and consistent expectations across schools.
Tuổi Trẻ News: Ho Chi Minh City tests AI education in high schools [Article]
Ho Chi Minh City’s pilot provides a local perspective on AI implementation within an already robust curriculum. Education leaders describe three delivery approaches, with a clear preference for weaving AI into existing subjects and activities rather than extending the school timetable.
This design choice supports instructional coherence and reflects practical constraints. Teacher-led integration, aligned tasks, and shared expectations around responsible use allow AI concepts to be reinforced across multiple classes. The pilot also places strong emphasis on ethics, critical thinking, and responsibility alongside technical knowledge, framing AI as part of academic skill development.
South China Morning Post: Nearly 1 in 4 Hong Kong students can’t finish homework without AI, study shows [Article]
A study cited in this article explores the widespread use of AI tools, with a significant proportion of students reporting difficulty completing homework without it.
Without explicit instruction, the article argues, heavy reliance on AI risks weakening analytical thinking and independent problem-solving. Effective AI literacy therefore extends beyond access to include judgement: checking accuracy, demonstrating reasoning, reflecting on process, and protecting personal data. In classroom practice, this points to curriculum-aligned tasks, formative assessment, and visibility into student thinking so AI can function as a learning support rather than a replacement for it.
Tuổi Trẻ News: Boom in English courses for preschoolers in Ho Chi Minh City: Should children start so early? [Article]
Language learning is also shifting earlier. This article documents rapid growth in preschool English programmes, alongside uncertainty about how early instruction should begin and what quality looks like for very young learners.
Two constraints are clear: developmental readiness and teacher preparation. Early exposure can be beneficial when learning is play-based, age-appropriate, and aligned with early childhood development. The reporting also highlights staffing challenges, particularly the shortage of educators with both strong English proficiency and early-years pedagogy, illustrating how expansion without capacity planning can place quality at risk.
Throughout these stories emerges a common thread across the region: the need for instructional coherence. Schools are recognizing that real progress depends on aligning curriculum, materials, and teaching practice, and then reinforcing that alignment with clear expectations and practical supports.