UCT student takes SA student voice to global AI and education debate

A University of Cape Town (UCT) postgraduate student is helping to shape international conversations about artificial intelligence (AI), open education and the future of higher education. She does this through her work with a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) network.

Nico Pampier, a 27-year-old from Velddrif, serves as a student coordinator, or "super fellow", in an international fellowship linked to the UNESCO UNITWIN Network on Open Education. The network brings together six partner universities with UNESCO chairs working on open education and AI.

She represents UCT under the leadership of Associate Professor Glenda Cox, chairperson of Open Education for Social Justice. As part of her role, she convenes monthly engagements with 26 student fellows from South Africa, Uruguay, Mexico, Brazil, Tunisia and Morocco.

The fellowship provides a platform for students to contribute to discussions on issues including AI, assessment, education policy and the changing role of universities in society.

"Students need to be part of the conversations where decisions about AI, assessment and policy are being discussed."

For Pampier, the work reflects a growing interest in how technology can expand access to education while ensuring that students and communities remain at the centre of decisions about the future of higher education.

"I believe it is important that we do not forget who education is supposed to serve and what it is meant to create," she said. "Students need to be part of the conversations where decisions about AI, assessment and policy are being discussed."

Pampier joined the fellowship following a recommendation from Professor Cox. They had worked together when Pampier was a research assistant on the Digital Open Textbooks for Development project, an institutional project housed within UCT's Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching.

Research interests

Her academic interests now focus on the intersection of Open Educational Resources and AI, particularly how students from marginalised communities engage with these technologies.

Her research interests also include the growing body of knowledge on the relationship between students and AI. While studies point to potential benefits such as increased productivity and academic support, they also raise questions about students' reliance on AI and possible social and emotional dependencies.

Pampier believes these complexities make it important for universities to engage students directly as AI continues to reshape education.

"Universities need to think about the skills students need in this changing environment."

"AI will be with us, and technology will continue to transform how we engage with higher education institutions and how communities respond to digital transformation," she said.

"Universities need to think about the skills students need in this changing environment, but also about how communities can participate in and benefit from that transformation."

She sees her academic interests and international engagement as part of a longer-term ambition to work in higher education and international diplomacy.

"I see myself working in the higher education landscape as both a researcher and a diplomat," she said. "I believe these two worlds cannot be separated. They inform each other through dialogue and data."

Her ultimate ambition is to work at UNESCO in its higher education portfolio, focusing on innovation and technology in tertiary institutions.

UNESCO ties

Her involvement with UNESCO has grown over the past three years.

In 2024, UNESCO invited Pampier to participate in an international forum called "Transforming Knowledge for Africa's Future", held at the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She spoke about the importance of African indigenous knowledge and the need to include students in conversations about Africa's history, knowledge and future.

In 2025, she participated in UNESCO's Digital Learning Week, further broadening her exposure to international discussions about digital learning and the role of technology in education.

In 2026, she participated in a parallel session reflecting on the fellowship and the role of open education in the age of AI. She also contributed to a plenary session examining what it means for a graduate student to be AI-skilled and how universities should respond to the changing skills landscape.

Her contribution also focused on the relationship between universities and communities and on the need to rethink it as digital technologies become increasingly embedded in education and society.

Expanding opportunities for the youth

Pampier's journey has taken her from Velddrif to international education forums, and she is the first person in her family to attend university. She said her experiences have reinforced her belief in education as a means of expanding opportunities for young people.

"I am honoured to have these opportunities, but I also recognise that I walk in the footsteps of those who have walked before me," she said.

Her message to other young people is that success does not follow a predetermined path. "There is no blueprint," she said. "But when we educate ourselves, the remarkable knowledge we gain and the control over our own futures becomes the real reward."

For Pampier, meaningful participation by young people must remain central to the transformation of higher education. "We are not simply recipients of education," she said. "We are researchers, innovators, contributors and future leaders who have a role to play in shaping what education becomes."

Pampier is a student leadership officer at UCT. She is currently pursuing postgraduate studies in Educational Technology at UCT. She hopes to continue her studies in a policy-related field, focusing on the development and implementation of higher education policy at local, regional and international levels.