“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
This famous quote by Benjamin Franklin remains highly relevant even in the present age. Today, the world is witnessing an extraordinary technological revolution. AI has entered almost every aspect of human life, and the field of education is no exception.
Smart classrooms, automated grading systems, virtual tutors, AI-based learning platforms, and applications such as ChatGPT and Gemini are rapidly transforming the teaching and learning process. Many believe that AI will soon dominate education because of its speed, accuracy, and efficiency.
However, despite all these technological advancements, one truth remains undeniable: EI (emotional intelligence) is still more powerful than AI in the teaching and learning arena.
The famous psychologist Daniel Goleman, who popularized the concept of EI, argued that emotional abilities are often more important than intellectual abilities in achieving success.
In educational institutions, this idea becomes even more meaningful.
A teacher with high EI can change students’ lives in ways no software or algorithm can ever accomplish. A machine may provide answers, but only a human being can truly touch another human heart.
Let’s consider a real-life classroom situation in a school. A student in class eight continuously performs poorly in English examinations.
Teachers often complain that he is inattentive and careless. An AI-based learning platform may identify weak grammar skills or lack of vocabulary and provide exercises accordingly.
But an emotionally intelligent teacher may discover something much deeper. The teacher may consult with the student and find out the reasons behind it.
The student’s family is going through a difficult time, and he is emotionally distressed. He cannot concentrate on his studies because his mind is filled with anxiety and fear.
One compassionate conversation from a teacher, one moment of encouragement, or one expression of care can rebuild the confidence of that student. AI can detect patterns, but it cannot genuinely feel empathy.
In colleges and universities, such examples are even more visible. Many university students struggle silently with depression, loneliness, financial stress, or social pressure.
In such circumstances, students often need emotional support more than academic instruction. Imagine a first-year university student from a rural area who has recently moved to a large city for higher education.
She feels isolated and inferior because her classmates speak fluent English while she struggles to communicate. An AI-powered language tool may help her improve pronunciation or grammar, but it cannot understand her embarrassment, fear, or emotional insecurity.
An emotionally intelligent teacher would notice the student’s silence and encourage her with care and support. She may forget the lessons, but she will always remember the teacher who believed in her.
Similarly, a lecturer notices that one student regularly arrives late to class and often falls asleep during lectures. Some teachers become angry and punish the student immediately.
However, an emotionally intelligent teacher decides to talk to the student privately. During the conversation, the teacher discovers that the student works in a restaurant or a call centre at night to support his family and pay tuition fees.
Instead of punishment, the teacher offers flexibility, support, and guidance. That understanding may become the turning point in the student’s academic life.
Can AI understand human struggle in this way? The answer is simple: Not fully.
AI functions through data, algorithms, and prediction models. Human emotions, however, are deeply complex. Emotional pain cannot always be measured mathematically. Sometimes students need silence, sometimes encouragement, and sometimes simply someone who listens. Human emotions require human sensitivity.
Students learn best when they feel emotionally safe. As Maya Angelou famously said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Students may not remember every lecture or note, but they remember kindness, encouragement, and emotional support for years.
Likewise, in science or business classes, students often become motivated because of teachers’ enthusiasm and emotional connection.
An encouraging smile, a supportive comment, or simple recognition of students’ efforts can significantly influence academic performance.
EI allows teachers to understand when students need motivation and when they need emotional comfort.
Moreover, education is not only about producing skilled workers; it is about producing good human beings. Schools, colleges, and universities play a major role in teaching values such as empathy, honesty, tolerance, kindness, and social responsibility.
These values are learned primarily through human relationships and observation. Teachers become role models through their behaviour.
The growing dependence on technology also creates certain dangers. Many students today spend excessive time with screens and digital devices. While technology offers convenience, it may also reduce face-to-face interaction and emotional communication.
In some cases, students become academically connected but emotionally disconnected. This makes EI even more important in modern education.
This does not mean AI should be rejected. AI has enormous benefits in education. It can help teachers prepare materials quickly, assist students with personalized learning, support research activities, and make education more accessible.
Students with disabilities can particularly benefit from AI-supported learning technologies. Teachers can also save time through automated administrative tasks.
However, AI should remain a tool, not a substitute for emotionally intelligent educators.
How should future classrooms be designed?
The future classroom should therefore combine technological advancement with human compassion.
Educational institutions should not focus only on technological infrastructure; they should also prioritize emotional well-being, communication skills, empathy, and human development.
Teachers who possess both digital literacy and EI will become the most successful educators of the future. In fact, the importance of EI is increasing because the role of teachers is changing.
In the past, teachers were mainly providers of information. Today, information is available everywhere through the internet and AI systems.
Therefore, modern teachers are becoming mentors, facilitators, counselors, motivators, and emotional guides. These responsibilities require strong EI rather than merely technological knowledge.
Ultimately, machines may imitate human intelligence, but they cannot replicate human emotion, compassion, or humanity. Education without emotional connection becomes mechanical and lifeless. AI may improve efficiency, but EI gives meaning to education.
Dr Mohammad Abu Nayeem is an Assistant Professor, and Md Inzamul Haque is a Lecturer at the Department of English, Southeast University.