South KoreaEducation2025Ministry of Education (South Korea)
AI digital textbooks in schools
AI textbooks reached about a third of schools in one semester, then lost their legal status as textbooks
Problem
The Ministry of Education wanted to personalise learning in English, mathematics and informatics with AI-based digital textbooks developed by textbook publishers. The plan drew opposition from parents and teachers, who questioned its readiness and its effect on students.
Approach
From the first semester of 2025 the textbooks were introduced for some third- and fourth-grade primary classes and first-year middle and high school classes. After the protests the ministry let schools choose whether to adopt them, and about a third did. On 4 August 2025 the National Assembly amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to reclassify them as educational materials, with immediate effect, and certification of AI textbooks for further grades was halted.
Results
Takeaway
The rollout was pushed without a pilot period and against organised opposition from teachers, and it was reversed by law after a single semester. Even where schools adopted the textbooks, a lawmaker citing access data said actual use was below 10%, so adoption figures alone overstated how much the tool was used.
Categories
- Size
- Large enterprise
- Industry
- Education
- Business function
- Strategy and organization
- Innovation type
- Product and service innovation
- AI technology
- Recommendation and personalization
- Adoption
- Vendor solution
- Evidence
- Company's own claim
Sources
Source summaries
Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that the National Assembly passed the amendment reclassifying AI digital textbooks as educational materials on 4 August 2025, effective immediately. It gives a nationwide adoption rate of about 33% and cites a lawmaker saying actual access was below 10%. It adds that the ministry had moved to voluntary adoption after criticism, that the rollout had no pilot period, and that publishers had filed lawsuits.
The Fact described the scope of the 2025 rollout (English, mathematics and informatics in some grade 3–4, middle school year 1 and high school year 1 classes) and puts the adoption rate at about 34%. It reports that certification for grade 5–6 and middle school year 2 textbooks would stop and that the loss of textbook status removes the basis for budget support. Teacher groups quoted expected confusion in high-adoption regions.
Full details are in the original sources.
