Leonel Fernández urges Dominican schools to improve reading and critical thinking amid AI growth

Former Dominican President and Fuerza del Pueblo leader Leonel Fernández said the country's education system must prioritize reading comprehension and critical thinking as artificial intelligence advances. Speaking at the City of Hope Development Center, he warned that premature use of AI tools could undermine students' reasoning abilities. Fernández acknowledged tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity can support learning but should not replace analysis, and noted that some nations restrict AI use in schools before age 16.

He proposed creating school libraries nationwide, strengthening dictionary and vocabulary resources, and fostering a collaborative model involving teachers, families and society. The plan also calls for integrating digital literacy, second‑language learning, oral and written communication, teamwork and conflict‑resolution skills into the 21st‑century curriculum.