Applied to 5th-6th graders in early 2026 and 9th graders in 2027
Introduction starting with Math, English, and Information subjects
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Starting from the 2025 academic year, students in grades 3-4 of elementary school and grades 1 of middle and high school will use AI digital textbooks for Mathematics, English, and Information subjects. A total of 300 digital leading schools will be operated across seven cities and provinces nationwide, and a leading teacher group will be selected and begin activities.
On the 23rd, the Ministry of Education announced the 'Digital-Based Education Innovation Plan' containing these details at the Government Seoul Office.
First, in response to the declining school-age population and technological advancements requiring personalized lessons for each student, the Ministry decided to use digital textbooks for Mathematics, English, and Information subjects, applying technologies suitable for each subject such as Metaverse, Extended Reality (XR), and conversational AI to create the textbooks.
For Mathematics, AI tutoring functions will be applied to help students not give up easily when facing difficult problems. For English, voice recognition functions will be used to support not only listening but also speaking practice. The Information subject will strengthen coding practice.
The digital textbooks will be used in the 2025 academic year for grades 3-4 of elementary school, grade 1 of middle school, and grade 1 of high school (common and general elective) in accordance with the 2022 revised curriculum. They will be gradually applied to grades 5-6 of elementary school and grade 2 of middle school in 2026, and grade 3 of middle school in 2027.
For the Information subject taught in middle school, since the grade level may vary by school, schools that assign it to grade 1 in the 2025 academic year will start using the digital textbooks.
The Ministry of Education plans to finalize additional subjects for digital textbook application by May, beyond Mathematics, English, and Information.
Along with this, in the first half of the year, seven education offices will be selected, and about 40 leading schools per office, totaling 300, will be designated. Before the introduction of digital textbooks, classes will be conducted using Edutech programs to discover excellent cases.
Leading schools will actively utilize AI classes not only in regular curricula but also in Neulbom School (elementary) and after-school supplementary courses.
The Ministry will also cultivate a 'TOUCH' (Teachers who Upgrade Class with High-tech) leading teacher group that can strengthen human bonds with students. Teachers with expertise in digital technology and a strong will for class innovation will be selected and supported to develop their expertise, and they will assist other teachers in utilizing digital textbooks.
The plan is to start with 400 teachers this year and expand to 1,500 by 2025.
The Korea Educational Development Institute (KEDI) will be designated as the 'Digital Education Support Center' to develop various learning models using digital textbooks.
An official from the Ministry of Education explained, "To establish a digital education foundation, we will check the status of device distribution and school wireless networks by 2025, and ensure that real-time data collection and analysis can be conducted through digital textbooks."
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