Announcement of Basic Plan for Edutech Soft Lab
5 Additional Soft Labs for Elementary and Secondary Education
1 New Soft Lab for Higher Education to be Selected in April
The Ministry of Education will expand the 'Edutech Soft Lab,' which develops and researches edutech projects, from the existing 3 locations to 9 locations. Starting this year, a total budget of 6.5 billion KRW will be allocated to support various research programs where teachers and universities collaborate from primary and secondary education to higher education.
On the 22nd, the Ministry of Education announced the '2024 Edutech Soft Lab Project Basic Plan' through a press release, stating, "To create an edutech ecosystem centered on public education, the number of Edutech Soft Labs will be expanded to 9 locations."
Edutech is a compound word of Education and Technology, meaning technology-based education. Since 2021, the Ministry of Education has been operating 'Edutech Soft Labs,' specialized institutions for developing and utilizing edutech, in three regions: Gyeonggi, Daegu, and Gwangju.
To strengthen the support function for public education, the Ministry will introduce programs that analyze the effects of edutech on students' academic achievement. It will also provide edutech-related training for teachers and support and monitor cooperation between teachers and companies.
Five additional Edutech Soft Labs for primary and secondary education will be established, operating Soft Labs in 8 cities and provinces nationwide. Cooperation with metropolitan and provincial offices of education will be strengthened to ensure that Soft Labs operate according to regional demand and issues. A total budget of 3.5 billion KRW will be supported.
Projects where teachers and companies collaborate to develop and introduce edutech will also be promoted. This year, 2 to 3 project teams (a total of 4 to 6 teams) will be selected through public competition in two fields: 'education for vulnerable groups' and 'reduction of teacher workload,' and supported for two years. Up to 360 million KRW per team will be provided, with a total budget of 1.6 billion KRW allocated.
One Edutech Soft Lab for higher education will also be newly established. This year, support will be provided to facilitate collaboration between universities and companies to develop AI courseware focusing on basic subjects usable in universities (such as mathematics, science, and English). The support budget is approximately 1.4 billion KRW.
The Edutech Soft Labs for primary and secondary education will accept applications on the 29th and complete selection by the end of March. The edutech projects aimed at solving educational issues and the Edutech Soft Lab for higher education will start accepting applications in March and complete selection by the end of April.
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