AI in Salvadoran Education
Between the Promise of Modernization and Strategic Silences
Keywords:
Artificial intelligence, Modernization, Government communication, Education policy, El SalvadorAbstract
This essay analyzes government communication surrounding the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) in El Salvador’s education system, presented as a milestone of modernization. Its objective is to assess whether this narrative reflects a well-founded educational strategy or constitutes a discourse that overlooks risks, limitations, and relevant international lessons. From a strategic communication perspective, the essay examines how framing emphasizes benefits associated with innovation, efficiency, and global competitiveness, while downplaying structural factors such as educational inequality, digital divides, infrastructure limitations, and teacher training. It also contrasts this narrative with recent international experiences that question the effects of intensive digitalization on learning processes, particularly regarding basic competencies. The analysis reveals the presence of “strategic silences” in official communication, which shape public perception, raise expectations, and limit informed public debate about the real scope of these educational policies. It concludes that educational modernization depends not only on technological adoption, but also on contextual integration, continuous evaluation, institutional sustainability, and transparent communication grounded in evidence and inclusive policy design processes.
EMH ABIERTA_EN_N19-2025-88-97.
0
HTML (Spanish) 0
References
Asenjo, S. (2024, noviembre 27). Suecia apostó por sustituir libros por ordenadores en las aulas. 15 años después destina 60 millones de euros al año para volver al papel. Xataka Móvil. https://www.xatakamovil.com/movil-y-sociedad/suecia-aposto-sustituir-libros-ordenadores-aulas-15-anos-despues-destina-60-millones-euros-al-ano-para-volver-al-papel
Associated Press. (2025, diciembre 22). El Salvador y xAI lanzan programa de educación en escuelas públicas con inteligencia artificial. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/espanol/internacional/articulo/2025-12-22/el-salvador-y-xai-lanzan-programa-de-educacion-en-escuelas-publicas-con-inteligencia-artificial
Brummett, B. (1980). Towards a theory of silence as a political strategy. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 66(3), 289-303.
Dimitrov, R. (2019). Explicit and implicit strategies of silence. Journal of Advertising and Public Relations, 2(1), 19–31. https://repositori.upf.edu/bitstreams/5272f823-081d-4e99-9a1d-7e7641720df5/download
Entman, R. M. (1993). Framing: Toward clarification of a fractured paradigm. Journal of Communication, 43(4), 51–58.
Ibáñez, M., Cuchillac, V., Martínez, M., Fuentes, M., Cornejo, A., Zamora, L., & García, I. (2025). Implementación de la inteligencia artificial en la educación superior: el caso de la Universidad Francisco Gavidia. Realidad y Reflexión, 25(62), 144–163.
Jaworski, A. (1993). The Power of Silence: Social and Pragmatic Perspectives. Sage Publications.
McCombs, M., & Shaw, D. (1972). The agenda-setting function of mass media. Public Opinion Quarterly, 36(2), 176–187. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2747787
Minero, E. (2026, enero 25). El Salvador apuesta por la IA en las escuelas: beneficios, desafíos y perspectivas. Infobae. https://www.infobae.com/el-salvador/2026/01/25/el-salvador-apuesta-por-la-ia-en-las-escuelas-beneficios-desafios-y-perspectivas/
Ministerio de Educación, Ciencia y Tecnología (MINED). (2025). Plan Nacional de Despliegue de Inteligencia Artificial en el Sistema Educativo Público. Dirección de Planificación.
OECD. (2021). OECD digital education outlook 2021: Pushing the frontiers with AI, blockchain and robots. OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-digital-education-outlook-2021_589b283f-en.html
OCDE (2023). Resultados PISA 2022 (Volumen I): El estado del aprendizaje y la equidad en la educación , PISA, Publicaciones de la OCDE, París, https://doi.org/10.1787/53f23881-en
Presidencia de la República de El Salvador. (2025, diciembre 11). xAI y El Salvador anuncian el primer programa nacional de educación con IA en el mundo. https://www.presidencia.gob.sv/xai-y-el-salvador-anuncian-el-primer-programa-nacional-de-educacion-con-ia-en-el-mundo/
Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD). (2022). Informe regional de desarrollo humano para América Latina y el Caribe. https://www.undp.org/es/latin-america
Skolverket. (2023). National strategy for education and digitalisation. Swedish National Agency for Education. https://www.skolverket.se/sok-publikationer/publikationsserier/regeringsuppdrag/2022/forslag-pa-en-nationell-digitaliseringsstrategi-for-skolvasendet-2023-2027
UNESCO. (2023). Guidance for generative AI in education and research. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/guidance-generative-ai-education-and-research
Wolf, M. (2018). Reader, come home: The reading brain in a digital world. Harper.
xAI. (2025, diciembre 11). xAI and El Salvador Pioneer the World’s First Nationwide AI Education Program. https://x.ai/news/el-salvador-partnership
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 María Elena Enríquez
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes .
- ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
