Student's Plea Sparks Free AI Tools for 330,000 Busan Students

A persistent high school student's request has transformed digital learning access for hundreds of thousands in Busan, South Korea. Kim Hee-rin, a third-year student at Busan International High School, grew frustrated after multiple attempts to gain free access to the paid version of Canva, a graphic design platform, for a school project.

After being told by Canva that educational institutions needed to be certified through the local education office, Kim took her plea to the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education's website. Her suggestion, advocating for free access to the paid version for all students, was passed to the Educational Research and Information Institute. This sparked the development of a new integrated domain system called PENZ, an acronym for Busan Education Networks and Digital Learning Tools.

Starting in September, PENZ will offer free access to paid generative AI services, including Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Adobe Firefly, and ChatGPT, to approximately 330,000 students and staff across Busan. The system allows students to store their academic portfolios for 12 years using a single internet account, while teachers can maintain their accounts even when transferring schools. The integration with the National Education Information System (NEIS) automates account creation and grade processing, freeing up administrative tasks.

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Thanks to a student's courageous suggestion, we have significantly reduced the budget. Busan is now the first education office in the country where students and teachers can use four excellent programs for free.

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education will pay an annual fee of 400 million won for the PENZ system, a fraction of the estimated 1.2 billion won it would cost if 330,000 users paid individually. "Thanks to a student's courageous suggestion, we have significantly reduced the budget," said an official from the Educational Research and Information Institute. "Busan is now the first education office in the country where students and teachers can use four excellent programs for free."

Kim expressed her joy at the outcome, stating, "I thought it would be difficult for a student to request free access to the paid version from the education office. I suggested it because I thought other students would give up. I'm happy that the inconveniences of many people will be improved."

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I thought it would be difficult for a student to request free access to the paid version from the education office. I suggested it because I thought other students would give up. I'm happy that the inconveniences of many people will be improved.