AI Assistant Teachers, Total Educare, AI Academic Diagnosis... Conservative Education Superintendent Election Promises Reviewed

Lee Ju-ho 'AI Assistant Teachers, AI Free Semester System, IB Innovation Schools'
Jo Young-dal 'After-School + Care = After-School Specialized Schools'
Jo Jeon-hyeok 'Arts-Focused Schools · Constitutional Education'

With 20 days left until the registration deadline for candidates in the June local elections, conservative and moderate camp preliminary candidates for Seoul Superintendent of Education have begun to differentiate themselves before unification by revealing their pledges.

Lee Ju-ho, a preliminary candidate who served as Minister of Education, Science and Technology during the Lee Myung-bak administration, held a declaration event on the 22nd to announce his candidacy for Seoul Superintendent of Education. He stated, "We will provide every student with an ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant teacher’ capable of personalized learning beyond regular classes." The AI assistant teacher will collect learning content and manage records to diagnose areas needing improvement based on academic achievement. He also proposed reforming the middle school free semester system into an ‘AI Free Semester System’ to offer education specialized in AI.

Candidate Lee also pledged to develop AI programs for after-school classes and utilize AI assistant teachers in these programs. He included plans to introduce more than 300 ‘Korean-style IB Innovation Schools’ in Seoul by integrating the International Baccalaureate (IB), an internationally recognized education program, into innovation schools. Currently, IB schools are operated in places like Daegu and Jeju. Candidate Lee said, "Korea’s AI education is significantly behind and no one has prepared for it," adding, "I will make Seoul the center of the AI education revolution and the world’s top education city."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Preliminary candidate Cho Young-dal emphasized ‘Total Educare’ and proposed a plan to completely reorganize after-school programs and care classrooms into ‘After-School Specialized Schools.’ Cho said, "Schools must comprehensively provide education and learning care tailored to parents’ expectations and students’ needs." He also pledged to expand elementary care classroom classes and strengthen support for dedicated staff training and placement.

He proposed reviving midterm and final exams in elementary schools, conducting regular academic achievement assessments, and using the free semester system as a remedial academic year. Furthermore, he pledged to establish a School Education Normalization Headquarters to seek normalization of teacher organization activities and to appoint additional deputy superintendents with teaching backgrounds. His education welfare pledges also include a ‘Three Meals Pilot School’ providing free breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a ‘Urban Kindergarten’ pilot program for parents commuting from the outskirts of Seoul.

Candidate Jo Jeon-hyeok

Preliminary candidate Cho Jeon-hyuk also proposed using AI to frequently diagnose basic academic skills and establishing sports, music, and art-focused schools specialized in extracurricular activities to reduce private education expenses by district. He emphasized abolishing the Student Human Rights Ordinance and democratic citizenship education while strengthening constitutional education instead. Conservative camp preliminary candidates commonly advocate for abolishing innovation schools and the Student Human Rights Ordinance, as well as maintaining autonomous private high schools.

Although there is a plan to push for a second round of unification among conservatives centered on the late-entering candidate Lee by the end of this month, candidates Cho Jeon-hyuk and Cho Young-dal have stated they will not participate in the unification process. The day before, Cho Young-dal declared his resignation from his professorship at Seoul National University, saying, "It is time to stop the unification game under the pretext of conservatism. I have no intention of participating in the unification promoted by Seo Gyo-won now." Candidate Cho Jeon-hyuk also said, "It seems they thought others would yield and the situation would be settled if a former minister ran, but I hope (Candidate Lee) takes responsibility and settles it."