A country that takes education very seriously and also boasts leading technological prowess, South Korea is bringing modern tools and cutting edge technology into classrooms to prepare their youth for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. (Image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, April 3 (Korea Bizwire) — A country that takes education very seriously and also boasts leading technological prowess, South Korea is bringing modern tools and cutting edge technology into classrooms to prepare its youth for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
According to the Ministry of Education, starting this year, children in the third and fourth grades and in the first year of middle school will be given digital textbooks – electronic tablets with an internet connection for downloading educational content. In addition, seventh graders attending 1,351 middle schools will take software classes as a core requirement of their young education.
By 2020, grades five through nine (the final year of middle school) will all take software classes as a core requirement. Also by 2020, digital textbooks will be distributed to grades five, six, eight and nine.
For middle school and high school students in South Korea’s most populous city, the Seoul Office of Education has designated eight different “newly established school subjects” that reflect the modern era’s technological trends, which include big data analysis, machine learning, programming devices, VR content development and digital forensics processing.
According to the Ministry of Education, starting this year, children in the third and fourth grades and in the first year of middle school will be given digital textbooks – electronic tablets with an internet connection for downloading educational content. (Image: Yonhap)
While these future-oriented subjects are most likely to be taught in specialized schools and vocational schools, other secondary institutions are free to teach these subjects as well.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
