“How can every school be ready for the digital age?” Across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), countries are advancing digital education—but challenges remain. Meanwhile, South Korea’s bold policies and sustained investments have enabled nationwide digital access, AI-powered textbooks, and large-scale teacher training. In this blog, we explore three key lessons from Korea’s Digital Transformation in Education and how LAC can learn from them to expand learning empowered by technology. Real-world impact, however, demands cross-regional partnerships. The emerging Korea-LAC collaboration is a promising path to leverage Korea’s successes and drive digital transformation across the region.
Korea-Latin America and the Caribbean Exchanges: A Path to Collaboration
In October 2024 by invitation of Korean Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), employees from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and education leaders from Honduras and Uruguay attended Korea’s largest trade event, hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE) of Korea. High-level discussions with the Ministry of Education and EdTech innovators, like Enuma School and the Korea Digital Education Frontiers Association (KEFA), highlighted Korea’s cutting-edge Edtech public education—and revealed opportunities to tackle LAC’s pressing educational challenges through collaboration.
Spotlight: South Korea’s AI Digital Textbook (AIDT)
During the fair, South Korea’s AI Digital Textbook (AIDT) drew significant attention, standing out as a a key innovation. The Ministry of Education is investing US$1 billion in this educational solution, to personalize learning through artificial intelligence. Initially covering mathematics, English, and computer science, it expands to social studies and science. AIDT includes multilingual translation, accessibility features, and adaptive learning for diverse learners as well (see graphic 1).
Graphic 1. Unique Korean AI-DT Features for Students, Teachers, and to both (Source: Ministry of Education, South Korea)
However, it’s important to note that Korea’s digital learning innovation did not happen overnight. Decades of investment in building sustainable infrastructure across the country, fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration, and scaling quality teacher training, laid the groundwork for today’s EdTech ecosystem. Below are three key lessons from Korea’s journey that can guide LAC countries in their digital transformation efforts.
Lesson 1. Infrastructure and Training
South Korea’s digital transformation begins with robust investments in infrastructure and comprehensive teacher training. By December 2024, the nation achieved over 100% distribution of digital devices for target grades, supported by a US$70 million investment in high-speed internet infrastructure (see graphic 2). Moreover, Korea aims to train 300,000 teachers by 2026—including 34,000 “Leading Teachers.” A dedicated budget of US$260 million is earmarked for Digital-focused professional development and for deploying digital tutors to support both teachers and students (see graphic 3).
Graphic 2. Digital Infrastructure framework for AIDT initiative (Source: Ministry of Education, South Korea)
Graphic 3. Professional Development Resources available for teachers on AIDT implementation (Source: Ministry of Education, South Korea)
Roadmap for LAC
South Korea’s dual strategy—investing in both digital infrastructure and teacher training—shows paths for a successful scale-up:
- Expand access to electricity, connectivity and adequate devices in remote areas.
- Strengthen teacher training in innovation, digital skills and AI literacy.
- Establish support systems (e.g., digital tutors) to help educators bolster confidence and effectiveness during the change management process.
Lesson 2. Promoting a Robust EdTech Ecosystem
South Korea’s EdTech ecosystem thrives on public-private partnerships (PPPs) that unite tech companies, telecoms, and public institutions, fostering both infrastructure development and AI-driven innovation. At the heart of this ecosystem is the Edtech Promotion Policy, established by the Ministry of Education, ensuring consistent funding and strategic direction for digital education initiatives. Complementing the policy is the EdTech Soft Lab, where Korean educators pilot innovative tools to validate classroom relevance before broader deployment.
Roadmap for LAC
- Develop clear governance frameworks for aligning public demand with private innovation.
- Streamline procurement processes to facilitate private-sector collaboration.
- Create innovation hubs so that users can pilot and refine EdTech solutions in real classroom settings.
Lesson 3. Policy and Stakeholder Alignment
Korea’s AI Digital Textbook Promotion Plan underscores how stakeholder alignment drives classroom outcomes. The EdTech Promotion Act embeds AI and EdTech adoption into national priorities, while facilitating the integration of diverse technologies and content by establishing data standards and expanding public data accessibility. In addition, Safety and Ethics Oversight provisions under the Framework Act on AI Development protect privacy and address potential bias.
But even in carefully planned initiatives, it’s important to account for a diversity of actors that may push for policy shifts. Recent legislative changes in Korea changed the AIDT mandate, in response to stakeholder push-back.
A proposal to reclassify AIDT from “textbooks” to “educational materials” could weaken mandates for schools. In response to ongoing discussions and policy dialogues among various stakeholders, the government introduced a policy adjustment, granting schools the discretion to decide on AIDT adoption for the 2025 academic year. As of January 2025, 13 out of 17 regional education offices in Korea have opted to implement AIDT.
Concerns have been raised within the country regarding the high maintenance costs of this EdTech-provided software, which could reach up to $4 billion in subscription fees over the next four years. Additionally, the AI-driven pedagogy remains underdeveloped, leading to skepticism among key education stakeholders, including teachers and parents. Several teachers have opposed AIDT, citing concerns over reduced human interaction and unproven efficacy. Parents have also expressed fears about excessive screen time.
In processes involving significant changes in the educational system modus operandi, top-down mandates alone usually do not ensure success – and sometimes, tend to backlash. This underscores the need for including bottom-up consultation based on consistent policies and open communication that makes the proposed change meaningful for increasing educators’ engagement.
Roadmap for LAC
- Maintain stable, evidence-based policies using educational data to build trust among stakeholders and secure investments.
- Implement flexible governance models that foster coordination across ministries and industries while also establishing common data standards for EdTech. (You can check our education statistic’s portal CIMA with 40 comparable education indicators across 26 countries)
- Engage teachers in co-design and peer-led networks for grassroots support.
Korea-LAC-IDB Partnerships in Action
Through multiple IDB partnerships, South Korea’s digital transformation in education demonstrates EdTech’s transformative potential for accelerating learning in LAC.
In Uruguay, the High Tech-High Touch project currently benefits over 10,000 students in 270 schools by fostering computational thinking and math skills, while Korea Education and Research Information Service (KERIS) and CEIBAL develop an AI competency framework for teachers. In Costa Rica, 1,000 girls are strengthening their digital skills through KERIS’s assessment, closing not only the digital gap but also the gender gap. Meanwhile, the HONTICO Project in Honduras—led by KEFA, KOICA, and the Honduran Ministry of Education—modernized classrooms and trained over 400 teachers, raising ICT literacy from 57.8% to 81.8% among targeted students.
Final Thoughts: Adapting, Not Replicating
Korea’s edtech journey shows that a clear vision, consistent policy and significant funding, aligned with broader private sector partnerships, can truly transform education. Yet no “one-size-fits-all” model exists. LAC nations can not only learn from Korea’s experience but also adapt and improve such insights to their own capacity, budget, and governance realities. By doing so—closing digital divides, training educators, and encouraging public-private partnerships—LAC can build future-ready education systems that serve all learners.
For more information, visit our Digital Transformation in Education team’s website here.