Pentahelix Collaboration for Building Secondary School Teachers’ AI-Enabled Digital Competence: A Case Study

This qualitative case study examines how Pentahelix collaboration—structured engagement among government, industry, academicians, community, and local mass media—addresses systemic barriers to AI adoption among 28 secondary school teachers (SETs) from 14 schools in Gresik Regency, Indonesia. Using a holistic single case-study design and guided by four research objectives, the study assessed AI utilisation levels, identified barriers, mapped stakeholder roles, and reconstructed a collaborative model. Findings reveal that most teachers (60%) reached only a moderate level of AI understanding, with persistent misconceptions and structural gaps in infrastructure, resources, and curriculum impeding integration. The Pentahelix model, which emerged inductively from observed collaboration patterns, fostered AI literacy, improved pedagogical integration, and built a sustainable multi-stakeholder support ecosystem. The findings carry critical implications for technology-enabled and blended learning for development, offering a replicable framework for policymakers seeking to scale AI adoption through collaborative governance.