The Ministry of Education stated on 4th that it will support discussions with regional educational offices to prevent confusion on the ground if artificial intelligence (AI) digital textbooks are downgraded from textbooks to educational materials.
Chah Young-ah, deputy spokesperson of the Ministry of Education, said during a regular briefing that "we will discuss support measures for the schools hoping to use AI textbooks with regional educational offices."
The National Assembly is expected to hold a plenary session in the afternoon of the same day and introduce an amendment to the 'Elementary and Secondary Education Act' to downgrade the status of AI textbooks to educational materials.
AI textbooks are a representative educational policy of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, introduced to provide customized education suitable for students' levels using AI functions. They were implemented for some subjects in the first semester of this year for 3rd and 4th grade elementary school students, 1st grade middle school students, and 1st grade high school students. At least 533.3 billion won was allocated for this purpose last year.
The amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which passed the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee earlier, includes provisions to downgrade the legal status of AI textbooks to educational materials instead of textbooks. Accordingly, schools are not required to mandatorily adopt AI textbooks but can choose to do so.
Chah Young-ah, the deputy spokesperson, noted, "We will promptly provide frequently asked questions (FAQ) to ensure that there are no disruptions to the academic operations in the second semester, and the certification review for AI textbooks is expected to be temporarily suspended," adding, "We also plan to promote amendments to related laws and instructional materials."