The Japanese government is working on a plan to officially recognize digital textbooks alongside paper textbooks in elementary and middle school classes, allowing schools to choose which to apply. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on January 19, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) is considering implementing a “textbook selection system,” where local education boards decide whether to use paper or digital textbooks. The Central Educational Council’s working group under MEXT is set to present a future direction for textbooks on January 21, which includes recognizing digital textbooks as official textbooks and allowing local education boards to choose between paper and digital options.
Previously, MEXT began providing each student with a tablet as an “alternative teaching material” to paper textbooks. Currently, only paper textbooks are officially recognized based on the School Education Act, and digital textbooks function as auxiliary materials only. However, if this plan materializes, students might study using only tablets without paper textbooks. The Japanese government aims to complete legal revisions by 2026 and enable the full introduction of digital textbooks by schools’ choice from 2030.
However, the Yomiuri Shimbun noted that the move to radically change the fundamental nature of textbooks in education is expected to be controversial. Some research suggests that learning with digital textbooks may not leave as lasting an impression on memories as paper does, and there are concerns about potential negative effects like deteriorating eyesight. Critics, including those in educational settings and some experts, argue that the push to adopt digital textbooks officially is premature without sufficient evidence proving their educational efficacy for young students. In a recent survey by the Yomiuri Shimbun of 188 principals from elementary and middle schools nationwide, 95.1% responded that both paper and digital textbooks should be used together, whereas only 4.3% said they would use digital textbooks exclusively.
Fujio Omori, a professor of educational policy at Tohoku University, criticized the initiative, suggesting that making such a sweeping change without ample scientific knowledge of the educational effects of digital textbooks is simply passing the responsibility onto schools.
Reported by Hong Suk-jae in Tokyo.