Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping classrooms across Asia, and India and South Korea stand out for the scale and ambition of their efforts. India is pursuing a vast, market-driven rollout that favors breadth, whereas South Korea opts for a tightly coordinated, government-led model that emphasizes depth and precision. Together they offer complementary blueprints for technology-enabled learning.
Table of Contents
National Visions and Funding Commitments
Dimension
India
South Korea
Flagship slogan
“AI for All” in the National Education Policy (NEP 2020)
“Personalised Education for All” via the AI Digital Textbook Plan
Public allocation for AI-in-education (2024-26)
₹500 crore ($60 million) for an AI Centre of Excellence
₩1 trillion ($740 million) for nationwide teacher training and AI textbooks
Milestone for 2025
Designation of 2025 as the “Year of AI,” integrating AI modules across 14,000 colleges
Mandatory AI digital textbooks in English, mathematics and informatics for Grades 3-4 and first-year middle/high school
Classroom Penetration: K-12
Student Reach
Indicator (Academic Year 2024-25)
India
South Korea
Learners formally studying AI
841,342 students in 5,482 CBSE schools (≈1.9% of total enrollment)
AI digital textbooks in 29% of elementary and 25% of secondary schools, covering ≈1 million pupils
Curriculum status
Optional AI skill subject (Grades 6-12)
AI integrated into the “Information” subject; standalone AI course under review for 2027
Adaptive learning pilots
ConveGenius chatbots in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka state schools
AI-powered smart textbooks delivering real-time feedback in 30% of schools
Device-to-student ratio
One AI-capable device per 40 students in public schools
One device per four students in pilot schools; goal of one per child
Teacher Preparedness
Metric
India
South Korea
Teachers with formal AI training (2025)
350,000 certified through FutureSkills PRIME
55,000 certified under MAI Hero & Digital Textbook professional development
Self-reported confidence using AI
48% of K-12 teachers
62% of K-12 teachers
Key pain-points
Limited devices, concerns about job displacement
Data-privacy worries, shortage of Korean-language datasets
Higher Education and Research
Measure
India
South Korea
Institutions with AI programs
14,000 AICTE-accredited colleges adding AI modules
72% of universities offer at least one AI course; 18 dedicated AI graduate schools
National fellowship schemes
IndiaAI Fellowship (130 B.Tech + 40 M.Tech)
InnoCORE Post-Doctoral Fellowship (400 slots)
Corporate demand for upskilling
96% of professionals want AI training
65% of chaebols integrate AI training into LMS platforms
Policy and Regulatory Framework
India’s Innovation-First Model
NEP 2020 introduces computational thinking from Grade 6 onward and supports multilingual content.
The IndiaAI Mission subsidizes compute, datasets and skilling initiatives for educational use.
A draft Safe & Trusted AI framework proposes voluntary bias audits for all ed-tech platforms.
South Korea’s Systematic Approach
The AI Digital Textbook Promotion Plan phases AI textbooks into all core subjects by 2028.
The AI Basic Act classifies educational AI as “moderate-risk,” requiring transparency and human oversight.
Teachers must complete 60 hours of AI pedagogy training to renew their licenses.
Investment and Market Dynamics
Category
India
South Korea
Domestic ed-tech valuation (2024)
$7.5 billion; projected $29 billion by 2030
$3.5 billion; projected $20.1 billion by 2033
Private AI-ed funding (2024)
$480 million across 62 deals, chiefly for generative-AI tutors
$210 million across 18 deals, focused on adaptive textbook analytics
Big-tech partnerships
Microsoft-CBSE “AI Classroom Series,” Google Read-Along in Hindi
Samsung and Naver supply LLM APIs for government textbook platforms
Pedagogical Use-Cases
Application
India
South Korea
Adaptive practice
BYJU’S AI tutor pinpoints misconceptions, suggests remedial videos
AI textbooks auto-generate differentiated problem sets with instant scoring
Language support
Multilingual chatbots for 12 regional languages
Real-time pronunciation analyzer with Korean-English subtitles
Automated assessment
AI rubrics grade Python notebooks in CBSE projects
AI essay graders piloted in Jeonju high schools
Career guidance
“AI Career Buddy” on the IndiaAI portal
MOE AI counselor app matching students to vocational tracks
Equity and Ethics
Bridging the Digital Divide
India: PM-WANI hotspots across 200,000 villages; DIKSHA content zero-rated for mobile data.
South Korea: Government-subsidized tablets and 1,200 digital tutors in rural schools.
Safeguards and Privacy
India: Personal Data Protection Act (2024) requires parental consent for minors.
South Korea: Personal Information Protection Act mandates algorithm fairness audits for educational tools.
Key Challenges
Challenge
India (Severity)
South Korea (Severity)
Broadband infrastructure
High
Low
Teacher AI literacy gaps
Medium
Medium-Low
Content localization
Medium
Medium
Privacy concerns
High
High
Strategic Outlook to 2030
India
Potential nationwide mandate making AI a compulsory competency by 2027.
Shift of ed-tech firms from direct-to-consumer tutoring to AI-as-a-Service models integrated with national data lakes.
IndiaAI Compute grid aims to provide 10 petaflops dedicated to education research.
South Korea
Target of AI textbook coverage in 100% of public schools by 2028.
Development of national AI chips for on-device inference, enhancing data privacy and reducing reliance on imported GPUs.
Teacher roles transitioning from lecturers to mentors overseeing project-based learning.
Collaboration Potential
Edge-AI hardware + multilingual software: Korea’s semiconductor prowess meets India’s diverse language datasets.
Professional development exchange: India offers scale for pilot projects, Korea contributes intensive training models.
Joint ethics initiatives: Shared democratic values could shape UNESCO and OECD guidelines for AI in education.
Conclusion
India and South Korea showcase two viable, distinctly cultural pathways to AI-enhanced education. India’s vast, entrepreneurial ecosystem prioritizes broad reach and multilingual access, while South Korea’s meticulously planned rollout emphasizes precision, quality and teacher readiness. Their complementary strengths not only illuminate different strategies for national transformation but also open avenues for collaborative innovation that could influence educational practices worldwide.
