Understanding AI challenges from the classroom
The Minister of Education, Carlos Gimeno, visited IES Barañáin today on the occasion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Week, a training initiative aimed at Secondary Education and Vocational Training students that seeks to bring AI closer from a critical, ethical and humanistic perspective.
The session held at IES Barañáin brought together two fourth-year secondary education groups with approximately 50 students participating. Given the size of the group, the activity included the support of two mentors, thus reinforcing the participatory and dynamic nature of the proposal.
During his remarks, the Minister stressed that “artificial intelligence is not only a technological tool, it is to educate young people capable of understanding the world they live in, reflecting critically and acting responsibly.” In this sense, he underlined the importance of positioning computational thinking as the foundation for understanding AI and its social impact.
AI Week is part of the STREAM‑AI Computational Thinking School Network, created by Foral Order 9/2024 and currently comprising 80 publicly funded schools in Navarra. This network promotes the structural integration of computational thinking in the curriculum, fostering teacher training, the development of students’ digital competence and inclusive education aligned with the challenges of the 21st century.
The initiative is co‑funded by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) 2021–2027, within the innovative social actions priority of Navarra’s regional programme. The objective is to address knowledge and understanding of AI from an early age through training and informational actions in schools.
Since the 2024–2025 school year, the development of AI Week has been supported by the public company Navarra de Servicios y Tecnologías, S.A.U. (Nasertic), which collaborates in the coordination, management and connection with Navarra’s technological innovation ecosystem and specialised AI stakeholders.
Training, Ethics and the Professional World
Over six hours of work, students cover topics such as an introduction to AI, its practical applications, the different types of artificial intelligence, generative AI, cybersecurity and the associated ethical dilemmas, culminating in a session delivered by sector professionals linking learning to the professional world.
The programme involves mentors from Nasertic, leading companies, academia and collaborating organisations such as Fundación LuzIA, strengthening the link between the educational environment and the technological ecosystem.
In the 2024/2025 school year, AI Week was delivered to 59 groups across 17 schools, with more than 1,500 students participating. For the current 2025/2026 school year, 37 schools have signed up for the activity, with participation expected to exceed 2,000.
The schools where AI Week has already been held so far in the 2025/2026 school year are Mendillorri, Cortes, Salesianos, Escuela Sanitaria, Biurdana, Navarro Villoslada, Escuela de Arte de Pamplona, Lumbier, Marcilla, Pedro de Atarrabia, Luis Amigó, Maristas, Plaza de la Cruz, Benjamín de Tudela, Altsasu / Alsasua and Estella / Lizarra.
With this initiative, the Department of Education consolidates its commitment to a a pedagogically driven digital transformation —people‑centred and aimed at training a critical, responsible citizenry prepared for the technological challenges of the present and the future.
Source: navarra.es
