The 14th Foundation Day of Mokokchung College of Teacher Education (MCTE) was celebrated on 12 February at MCTE with the hoisting of the college flag by Dr Rijingkhum, Assistant Professor, MCTE, followed by the singing of the college anthem, led by Imtikumzuk.
The programme was chaired by Sekulu Nienu, Assistant Professor, MCTE, while Keleu Tsuhah invoked God’s presence. This was followed by an “Ode to MCTE” presented by Temsushijung.
Delivering a speech titled “A Glimpse into Our Legacy”, Dr Temsurenla, Vice Principal, MCTE, highlighted how God has remained faithful to the college since its inception in 2012. She reminisced about the early challenges when the institution had only two regular teachers, including herself, and relied on visiting lecturers from D.I.E.T. Mokokchung, SCTE Kohima, and a few government teachers.
She acknowledged the contributions of former principals and expressed gratitude to Dr. Alemla Longkumer, the current principal, for her unwavering support and leadership.
Dr Temsurenla also celebrated the achievements of student-teachers who have consistently secured the ‘University Topper’ title since 2015. She challenged the 2023-2025 fourth-semester student-teachers to continue this legacy through hard work and dedication.
She commended the teaching faculty for their perseverance and accomplishments, particularly their ongoing efforts towards the first NAAC assessment under the guidance of Kerilhusa, Assistant Professor and IQAC Coordinator.
This was followed by a special presentation by Sayangpong and Imsujungla.
The Foundation Day lecture was delivered by Er Ngangsham N Chemdok, Lecturer, Computer Science and Engineering, ICIT Mokokchung. He began by posing a question to the participants: “Is AI a threat to humans?” The majority responded in the affirmative.
He then elaborated on the three primary types of Artificial Intelligence (AI): ANI (Artificial Narrow Intelligence), which is the AI currently in use, AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), which is a theoretical concept, and ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence), which is another theoretical concept. He emphasized that ANI is the only form of AI presently in operation, while AGI and ASI remain hypothetical.
Additionally, he discussed the applications of AI in daily life, particularly in education, where it assists in lesson planning, emotion recognition in classrooms, voice assistants for learning, gamified learning experiences, educational podcasts, and audiobooks. However, he also highlighted the downsides of AI, such as its tendency to diminish originality, restrict deep exploration, and raise ethical concerns in art and ownership.
To reduce over-reliance on AI in education, he suggested measures such as encouraging original assignments, implementing flipped assignments, splitting assignments into multiple stages, and using AI detection tools like GPTZero.
Er Chemdok cautioned against excessive dependence on AI, stating that humans are only at risk if they permit AI to take control. He affirmed that AI can be controlled as long as humans remain vigilant.