Education officials gather in Seoul to discuss digital classroom transformation

To cope with the rapidly changing landscape of education since the pandemic and the increasingly prevalent use of digital tools in schools, educational officials from 17 countries gathered Tuesday in Seoul to discuss challenges and strategies in digital transformation and present a new paradigm for future classrooms.

Co-hosted by the Ministry of Education and the World Bank, the Digital Education Global Forum 2024 takes place at Coex for three days. It brings together some 100 education experts and policymakers, including high-level education policymakers from the Mauritanian Ministry of Education, who requested cooperation on digital education at the last Korea-Africa Summit in June.

The forum is part of Korea's ODA program, sharing Korea's leading digital education vision and model while supporting the transformation of digital-based education in developing countries.

The event will also feature programs including roundtable discussions, lectures by scholars and experts from around the world, tours of education technology (ed-tech) companies, and visits to digital pioneer schools. Each will allow participants to experience Korea's digital education policies and have in-depth discussions on digital education innovation policies.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to share and discuss Korea's digital education experience with education policymakers from many countries,” said Oh Seok-hwan, Vice Minister of Education. "We hope this event will contribute to the innovation of education policies for digital transformation in developing countries," he added.

Regarding developmental and ethical concerns when incorporating AI in education, such as privacy issues of personal data collection and students' overdependence, the forum aims to share best practices in applying AI in public and private learning environments worldwide. It will also examine how AI-powered learning solutions contribute to enhancing learning outcomes through student motivation.

The forum will also identify essential skills needed for the transformation of the students as well as teachers and how to cultivate such capabilities.

Aiming to highlight global education technological issues, the forum will develop follow-up actions and strengthen global networks by serving as an international platform that brings together diverse participants involved in digital learning, such as policymakers, experts, industrial partners, teachers, and students, the official explained.