Inefficiency in Smart Device Distribution Pointed Out... Gyeongnam Office of Education Says "It's Not Time for Evaluation Yet"

Gyeongnam Office of Education.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The Gyeongnam Office of Education has issued a clarification regarding the survey results on the usage status of student smart devices released by the Gyeongnam Teachers' Association on the 24th.

On that day, the Gyeongnam Teachers' Association announced that from the 5th to the 12th, they conducted a survey on the usage status of smart device distribution targeting 1,044 teachers from elementary, middle, and high schools in the province, 106 elementary school parents, and 51 middle and high school students.

According to the survey, regarding the effectiveness of the devices, 25% of teachers, 24% of students, and 12% of parents responded positively, while 73% of parents, 59% of students, and 52% of teachers responded negatively.

Respondents cited positive effects such as ▲preparation for remote classes ▲cultivation of students' digital skills, and negative reasons included ▲budget waste ▲low utilization ▲increased administrative workload ▲issues with usage beyond educational purposes.

Regarding device performance, 64% of teachers, 72% of parents, and 55% of students expressed dissatisfaction.

They mainly complained about frequent device errors and malfunctions due to low specifications and slow speeds.

In the student survey, concerns related to smart device addiction were also raised, such as "playing strange things during breaks," "playing with smart devices during class," and "reduced exercise and conversations among friends."

The Gyeongnam Teachers' Association also pointed out that the distribution project, which involved a massive budget exceeding 100 billion won, was hastily carried out without opinion gathering such as public hearings.

Chairman Kim Kwangseop said, "Smart devices are merely tools and media for future education," adding, "Future education does not happen simply by distribution."

In response, the provincial Office of Education stated in a position paper, "The effectiveness of the smart device distribution project must be carefully evaluated," and added, "It is difficult to trust the sample size and representativeness of 106 parents and 51 middle and high school students among the survey subjects."

They continued, "It is unreasonable to evaluate the effects of the project, which was implemented until August this year, just two months after completion," and added, "An evaluation is planned for 2023."

Regarding the controversy over device performance, they explained, "We comply with the standards of the Korea Intelligent Information Society Agency," and "The 17 metropolitan and provincial offices of education currently promoting the smart device distribution project have devices with equivalent specifications."

They also clarified, "The distributed smart devices are not of the type that supports installed software but are devices based on cloud operations such as iTalkTalk," and "Their hardware specifications are equivalent to or higher than those of Chromebooks, which are widely used worldwide."

Regarding concerns about internet addiction, they countered, "This is an issue our society must solve together as digitalization progresses," and "Using smart devices itself is information and communication ethics education, and through usage time management and harmful information blocking functions, it is possible to prevent internet overdependence and create an environment where educational use of smart devices can be fully engaged."

The provincial Office of Education referred to the smart device distribution project, which has been promoted since 2017, as "infrastructure for student-customized future education."

They also emphasized, "Big data and AI-based education are not the entirety of the future education we envision, but we cannot deny that they are important elements."

Finally, they stated, "We will strengthen communication in school settings to establish a new education system covering curriculum operation, classroom teaching, and career guidance," and "We will also quickly resolve the issue of temporary workload increases for teachers."

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