Publishers Oppose the Downgrading of "AI Textbooks"
at Press Conference on the 11th
The government has invested more than 530 billion won in the introduction of the AI Digital Textbook (AIDT), but as it now faces the risk of being downgraded to merely a teaching resource, publishers have responded with unified opposition.
Fourteen AI textbook publishers and the Textbook Development Committee held a press conference on the 11th at the Irum Center in Yeouido, Seoul.
On the 11th, fourteen AI textbook publishers and the Textbook Development Committee held a press conference at the Irum Center in Yeouido, Seoul, urging, "We must discuss amending the law to improve quality and supplement functions while maintaining the status of AI textbooks as official textbooks."
Previously, on July 10, the National Assembly's Education Committee passed a partial amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in a plenary session, which downgrades AI textbooks to educational materials. As the bill is expected to pass smoothly in the National Assembly’s general meeting, it appears that under the new administration, AI textbooks will lose their status as official textbooks.
The amendment specifies the definition of textbooks in law rather than in an enforcement decree, and stipulates that forms such as AI textbooks are classified as "educational materials" rather than "textbooks." In particular, it states that digital educational materials can be used only as supplementary tools for the curriculum, but prevents the Minister of Education and others from effectively controlling them. This essentially blocks the possibility of the so-called "Lee Juhyo-style AI textbook" from being reintroduced.
The publishers argued that the government's inconsistent policies have caused confusion and damage to businesses. The AI textbook was originally downgraded to "educational material" by a bill passed in the National Assembly when the Democratic Party was the opposition, but the Yoon Suk-yeol administration exercised its veto and the bill was scrapped, allowing the AI textbook to be officially used as a "textbook" in the first semester of this year. Accordingly, publishers invested enormous amounts in development, but now, just four months later, they face the risk of the project being derailed. The publishers also pointed out that even when the AI textbook was classified as a "textbook," the adoption rate was only 32 percent, and they expect this rate to drop even further if it becomes merely an "educational material."
At the press conference, the publishers emphasized, "Including the infrastructure for AI textbooks, about 2 trillion won has been invested, and more than 36,000 employees and hundreds of thousands of their family members depend on this industry for their livelihoods." They added, "Some companies are already facing restructuring and workforce reductions." They further called for the immediate establishment of a "public-private-government education innovation task force" involving the government, National Assembly, publishers, teachers, and experts to institutionalize communication and coordination.
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