Digital Textbooks for Social Studies and Science in Grades 3-6 Elementary, Transition from State-Approved to Certified (Comprehensive)

Ministry of Education Confirms Transition to Certification by the End of Next Month

Students of Seoul Guil Elementary School attending class with digital textbooks. (Provided by Asia Economy DB)

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Digital social studies and science textbooks for elementary school grades 3 to 6 will be changed from state-authored to certified textbooks.

On the 11th, the Ministry of Education announced the administrative notice of a partial revision of the "Distinction between State-Authored and Certified Digital Textbooks for Elementary and Secondary Schools according to the 2015 Revised Curriculum."

Digital textbooks are textbooks that can be downloaded and viewed on devices such as laptops and smartphones. Recently, with the expansion of remote classes due to the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), demand in educational settings has gradually increased. The content is mostly the same as printed textbooks, but they are characterized by the addition of various audiovisual materials.

The Ministry of Education explained, "Following the transition of social studies and science textbooks for elementary grades 3 to 6 from state-authored to certified textbooks since last year, the digital textbooks will also be transitioned this time, which is expected to improve quality through competition and guarantee the choice of teachers and students."

State-authored textbooks are educational materials developed and distributed by the Ministry of Education with the Ministry's copyright. Schools at all levels must prioritize using state-authored textbooks if available. Certified textbooks can be developed by various entities such as publishers and must be approved by the Minister of Education. The actual review is conducted by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation.

A total of 16 textbooks will be transitioned to certified textbooks after the revision notice: 8 for grades 3 to 4 will be applied from 2022, and 8 for grades 5 to 6 will be applied from 2023.

The administrative notice period lasts until the 5th of next month, and the partial revision notice can be checked on the Ministry of Education’s website. After collecting opinions through the administrative notice, the Ministry plans to finalize the transition to certified textbooks by the end of October.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.