Unlocking the Future of Learning: Japan’s Education Ministry Considers Digital Textbooks as Official School Resources

TOKYO – The education ministry is looking into making digital textbooks official school materials. Right now, these digital versions are only used as substitutes for paper textbooks. The goal is to let schools choose between paper and digital options for their students.

This change could spark discussions about the future of textbooks in schools. Textbooks are a crucial part of education, and shifting to digital formats could reshape how learning happens.

The ministry is set to share its ideas during a meeting with the Central Council for Education on Tuesday. They want to address some key points about this transition.

Digital textbooks are the online versions of paper textbooks and contain the same material. Students can access these texts on devices provided to them.

Two main ideas will be presented. First, the ministry wants to elevate digital textbooks from substitutes to official texts, meaning they will go through the same government reviews as paper books and could be provided for free. Second, they want local education boards to decide whether to adopt paper or digital textbooks.