Seoul Education Superintendent Jeong Geun-sik expressed regret over the National Council of Provincial Superintendents of Education's request to defer the introduction and handling of the revised bill that defines artificial intelligence (AI) digital textbooks, which are to be gradually introduced into public education from next year, as 'educational materials.'
Superintendent Jeong noted in a statement released in the afternoon that the suggestion of deferral does not align with the criteria for adopting the council's statements.
Jeong said the debate over the legal status of AI textbooks is still ongoing and that the National Council of Provincial Superintendents of Education should announce its position after thorough discussion and consensus.
Earlier, the council had issued a press release on the 24th requesting the deferral of the bill defining AI textbooks as educational materials. However, it was reported that the opinions of the majority of the provincial superintendents were not reflected in this process. For a proposal to be issued under the council's name, two-thirds, or 12, of the superintendents must agree.
According to the office of Rep. Kim Young-ho, Chairperson of the National Assembly's Education Committee from the Democratic Party, five out of 17 provincial superintendents, including those from Gangwon, Jeju, Daegu, North Chungcheong, and North Gyeongsang, expressed negative views on the revised bill. Meanwhile, six superintendents, including those from Sejong, South Gyeongsang, Ulsan, Incheon, Seoul, and South Chungcheong, were in favor of the bill, and six, including South Jeolla, were classified as non-respondents or others.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly held a plenary session and passed a partial amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which directly defines in law the definition and scope of textbooks and categorizes AI digital textbooks as 'educational materials.' If classified as educational materials rather than textbooks, schools are not obliged to adopt AI digital textbooks. Initially, the government planned to introduce AI textbooks into public education starting with third and fourth graders in elementary school, first-year middle school students, and first-year high school students next year.