Deputy Prime Minister Lee Ju-ho's Key Pledge
Teacher Training with Digital Coaching and Platform Provision
Business Development Linked with Companies
Focus on 'Personalized Education Realization' through Technology
The Ministry of Education will actively promote 'Edutech,' which integrates digital education into public education, starting this year. They plan to conduct digital training for on-site teachers to guide learning methods and establish a linkage system with related companies.
On the morning of the 18th, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho announced the 'Edutech Promotion Plan' through Vice Minister of Education Jang Sang-yoon at the Emergency Economic Ministers' Meeting and Export Investment Measures Meeting. Edutech was a key pledge of Minister Lee since the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent election last year. Earlier in February, Minister Lee held a vision declaration ceremony and revealed the related vision, stating, "We will realize personalized education for all."
This plan envisions introducing digital-based Edutech technology into education and creating an environment where education and technology can be combined. First, Edutech will be utilized in schools. The Ministry of Education plans to implement digital competency enhancement training for teachers starting in the second half of this year. They will create leading teacher groups such as the 'Touch Teacher Group' and provide digital coaching within schools. An information platform will also be established to enable the purchase of Edutech through the school financial system.
Furthermore, the Ministry aims to foster the Edutech industry combined with public education. They have set a goal to introduce 'Artificial Intelligence Digital Textbooks' by 2025. Additionally, to address areas with low private Edutech development such as teacher workload reduction and special education, they will promote the 'Education Issue Resolution Edutech Project,' where teachers and companies form teams to develop Edutech. The operation of Edutech Soft Labs, which connect schools and Edutech companies, will also be expanded from 3 locations this year to 10 next year.
Going forward, overseas promotion will be strengthened based on the digital education model. The scale of companies participating in the 'Edutech Korea Fair' will be expanded, and the proportion of global sessions will be increased. The budget for digital education ODA (Official Development Assistance) will be increased (from 4 billion KRW this year to 6.5 billion KRW next year), and corporate participation will be encouraged. Related strategies will be established to enable cooperation and support among relevant agencies.
The Ministry of Education plans to build a national-level Edutech support system. To this end, they will develop an 'Education Data Dictionary (Data Standards)' to share with each Edutech company. They will also establish an integrated education data service system and an AI digital textbook learning platform. To create a safe Edutech usage environment, a harmfulness verification system and digital education norms will be prepared.
At a press briefing on the 13th, Minister Lee explained the purpose of introducing Edutech, saying, "We have conducted extensive verification to ensure that new technologies do not replace teachers but reduce their workload," and added, "If teachers and AI technology are well combined, personalized education for all students may become possible."
In response to reporters' concerns that "schools might become a testing ground," the Ministry of Education stated, "The existing public education system is slow to change and conservative," and responded, "Digital education planning will become the most innovative department, and now education must change first (ahead of other areas)." Regarding questions about whether teachers will actually be able to utilize it, they explained, "We will specify training plan guidelines and content."
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