LEVERAGING THE APPLICATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ON ENHANCED SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) AT CONFLICT-AFFECTED PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN NORTH-EAST NIGERIA

Abstract

The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education has significantly transformed teaching and learning globally by addressing both academic and psychosocial needs of learners. In North-East Nigeria, persistent insecurity and violence have disrupted schooling and exposed children to traumatic experiences that hinder learning, social interaction and emotional development. Although Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is widely adopted in Canada, the European Union, the MENA region, other Global South contexts to foster self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and responsible decision-making, its implementation in fragile settings remains limited due to shortages of trained teachers and weak psychosocial support systems. This study therefore evaluates how AI can facilitate SEL in primary schools in North-East Nigeria, with comparative global perspectives. The study involved pupils, teachers and school administrators from selected primary schools in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States. AI tools were used to classify learners' wellbeing profiles and generate personalized recommendations. AI-enabled SEL activities enhanced self-management, empathy, interpersonal relationship and responsible behaviour, while teacher dashboards provided real-time data for instructional planning and intervention. Findings revealed that AI integration positively influenced learners' emotional wellbeing, motivation, communication, and academic readiness, consistent with evidence from Europe and North America on AI-supported personalized learning and SEL. It also improved teachers' understanding of learners' needs and classroom responsiveness. However, challenges such as data privacy concerns, algorithmic bias, weak infrastructure, and limited accessibility in fragile regions were identified. The study concludes that AI can strengthen SEL when applied ethically, contextually and recommends responsible integration to improve learning outcomes and learner wellbeing in conflict-affected educational systems