Education Minister Lee Ju-ho speaks during a press briefing held at the Government Complex Seoul on Friday. (Yonhap)

With just three months remaining before the new school year begins in March, the South Korean government announced Friday it will unexpectedly scale back its plan to introduce AI-powered digital textbooks in classrooms, adjusting the pace and deferring the rollout for some subjects.

Under the scheme, the digital conversion of paper-based books for mathematics, English and informatics courses will go ahead as planned for third- and fourth-grade students, seventh-graders and first-year high school students.

However, the implementation of AI-powered digital textbooks for social studies and science will be pushed back for a year. These will be applied in classrooms in 2027, not 2026. Also, Korean language and technology and home economics textbooks will not be part of the conversion.

English and informatics and communications textbooks for students with disabilities will also not be converted. AI-powered digital textbooks for Korean language and mathematics will be developed in special education for elementary, middle and high school students.

The decision comes a year after the Education Ministry announced it would introduce AI-powered digital textbooks in June last year to reshape the way students learn, which still places heavy emphasis on memorizing textbooks.

Educators and parents have continuously voiced strong concerns over the scheme, with many worrying about rising student over-reliance on digital devices, the decline in literacy and the importance of teacher and student interactions for self-expression.

Soon after Friday's announcement, the professional association Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations issued a statement calling for creating an environment that would make it easier for teachers to integrate and use digital textbooks.

Amid the growing concerns, the ministry underscored that AI-powered features would offer personalized learning experiences to students and help bridge achievement gaps in classrooms where students who get the most out-of-school tutoring at private academies excel.

The digital textbooks would also provide different learning materials, where academically advanced students can pursue more challenging studies, while those struggling get extra support from AI tutors, the ministry said.

Education Minister Lee Ju-ho shrugged off the concerns about the plan, saying that AI digital textbooks aim to enhance classroom participation and help students understand concepts more easily.

"Teachers can better understand their students' learning abilities and encourage active learning by coming up with lessons that make more dynamic, such as through active discussions or classes that require teaming up with peers," Lee told reporters during Friday's press briefing.

"Unlike gadgets for entertainment purposes like social media, AI digital textbooks are used for educational purposes and aim to increase student participation in class. (The government) also plans to enhance education on digital citizenship so that students can use digital technologies responsibly and productively," according to Lee.

For example, AI textbooks will provide personalized feedback to students on their speaking and writing skills during English class, making classroom management easier and more efficient for teachers, Lee answered when asked about the benefits of the AI scheme.

When it comes to math, AI textbooks will allow students to understand mathematical theories and concepts they have difficulty with better, as well as provide extra problems for students to grasp the subject better instead of asking them to memorize math formulas and repeatedly solve questions, according to Lee.

"The Yoon Suk Yeol administration's goal is to reduce the number of students who give up on mathematics and English through AI digital textbooks," he said.

According to the minister, AI-powered education will make education "fairer" as students will have equal access to educational opportunities regardless of their backgrounds and abilities.

Meanwhile, 76 AI-powered digital textbooks designed for elementary to high school students have been certified for classroom use for the first time and will be displayed at schools starting Monday, according to the ministry. They were chosen from 146 digital textbooks submitted for certification by the qualification examination committee comprised of experts and incumbent teachers.

These will be available for use in classrooms starting the first semester of the 2025 academic year, and schools will go through a selection process to choose which one they will use.