[To President Lee Jae-myung②] "Fostering a Collaborative Ecosystem for Digital Education: Government, Businesses, and Teachers"

 

 

✅ We must establish an EdTech Industry Promotion Agency to strengthen the competitiveness of the education industry in the AI era.

 

✅​ The government should expand the budget and grant autonomy to schools so they can choose from a variety of EdTech products that suit their needs.

✅ Promoting industrialization of EdTech requires building a cooperative ecosystem between public institutions and private EdTech companies.

 

Towards a Smarter Future: Building a Sustainable EdTech Ecosystem for Digital Education

Education has traditionally evolved at a slow pace in response to social change. However, the COVID-19 pandemic served as a major turning point, significantly raising awareness of the importance of educational technology (EdTech) and sparking a wave of transformation in classrooms.

 

Recognizing this shift, South Korea’s Ministry of Education has accelerated its digital education strategy. Initiatives have included the introduction of AI-based digital textbooks, programs to enhance teachers' digital competencies, and efforts to foster public-private collaboration. Yet, despite these advancements, the government still operates more as a service provider than as a facilitator of an EdTech ecosystem.

 

This approach raises concerns. When public institutions supply educational content and services directly, it often results in redundant investments and an unintended competition with private EdTech companies. Such a structure can suppress the agility, innovation, and diversity of content that private companies are best equipped to offer.

 

In today’s rapidly evolving tech landscape—where generative AI is advancing even faster than the internet once did—government-led service models are struggling to keep pace. They face significant limitations in adapting quickly or scaling sustainably.

 

Meanwhile, many EdTech companies have spent years developing AI-based courseware tailored for classroom use. Teachers should have the freedom to choose tools that best support their instructional goals. However, the government’s concentrated focus on AI digital textbooks has created a barrier for companies not directly involved in that project, making it difficult for them to access the public education market or expand their services. As a result, many are turning to the private education sector to survive—potentially weakening the competitiveness of public education in the long run.

 

Even more problematic is the growing trend of public institutions developing and distributing platforms and learning solutions similar to those that private companies have invested heavily in, offering them “free of charge” (though funded by taxpayer money). While well-intentioned, this practice risks shrinking the existing EdTech market and diminishing the quality and innovation of public education.

 

These challenges prompt critical questions: Why do such conflicts continue to occur? And how can we break the cycle?

 

In a rapidly changing world, education must be more than a system for delivering knowledge—it must be a core national strategy for preparing future generations.

 

The digital transformation of education, especially through the integration of AI, is directly tied to national competitiveness. This transformation should not only be driven by policy but also by public understanding and consensus.

 

Importantly, education policy must not be viewed through the lens of political transition. Digital education should be recognized as a long-term national agenda, not merely the initiative of a single administration. Social consensus must be built to ensure consistent, forward-looking progress.

As classroom transformation ultimately begins with teachers, policies should place educators at the center. In addition, more effort must go into creating a healthy ecosystem of collaboration between the public sector and private EdTech companies—a goal that has long been emphasized, but not fully realized.

 

To make real progress, the current government must embrace the capabilities of private EdTech companies—their technology, innovation, and responsiveness—as a foundation for implementation.

 

Rather than directly providing services, the public sector should focus on creating fair institutional frameworks that allow EdTech companies to grow and thrive. Its role should shift to that of a system enabler and ecosystem builder.

 

It is now time for the government to clearly redefine the role of the private sector and establish a cooperative ecosystem that enhances public education through high-quality, diverse services. This will simultaneously support the growth of private enterprises, create new jobs, use public resources more efficiently, and expand choices for students and parents.

 

Beyond the AI digital textbook initiative, the government should broaden its support to include services for social-emotional learning, arts and music creation, physical education, AI literacy, and reading support—ensuring a wide range of EdTech content is available.

This also means increasing the education budget and granting schools more autonomy so they can select the tools and solutions that best meet their unique needs.

 

The global competition in digital education has already begun. Leading nations such as the UK and the US are actively implementing national EdTech strategies, building AI- and data-driven education systems through public-private collaboration.

 

What sets them apart is that, while incorporating private EdTech solutions into public education, they empower schools—not governments—with autonomy. This model fosters a truly cooperative ecosystem.

 

South Korea has the technology, infrastructure, and will to become a global leader in digital education. But without broad social consensus, especially amid political uncertainty, the opportunity may pass us by.

 

Now is the time—for both the new government and all of us—to turn this momentum for digital education innovation into a unified national vision.

To succeed, collaboration between the public and private sectors is essential. Most importantly, we must ensure continuous dialogue and engagement with educators—because lasting change in education always begins in the classroom.