ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AS A TOOL IN PREPARING POST GRADUATE STUDENTS FOR LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT ROLES IN FACULTY OF EDUCATION, DELSU, ABRAKA

Abstract

The study examined Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a tool for preparing postgraduate students for leadership and management roles in educational settings. With AI increasingly shaping educational administration, decision-making, and strategic planning, postgraduate students are expected to develop technological, analytical, and managerial competencies to thrive in modern educational systems. The study adopted a descriptive survey design and involved the entire population of 300 postgraduate students admitted into the Faculty of Education in the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 academic sessions. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed through descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson Product Moment Correlation at 0.05 significance level). Findings revealed that the integration of AI tools into postgraduate training is currently limited, primarily confined to research applications, with formal instruction in leadership and management applications largely absent. Despite this, AI was found to have a strong positive influence on leadership competencies, particularly in evidence-based decision-making, strategic thinking, problem-solving, and adaptability to technological environments. Similarly, AI significantly enhanced management skills, including project planning, time management, data handling, resource allocation, and risk assessment. Correlation analyses confirmed significant positive relationships between AI exposure and postgraduate students' readiness for leadership and management roles. The study concludes that AI is a transformative tool for developing leadership and management competencies, yet its full potential is underutilized due to limited curriculum integration, insufficient faculty training, and infrastructural constraints. It recommends deliberate curriculum-driven adoption of AI, faculty capacity building, and enhanced technological infrastructure to equip future educational leaders with the skills necessary to navigate complex, digitally mediated educational environments.