By Kim Hyun-cheolStaff ReporterClasses using robots developed for educational purposes have proven to be effective in enhancing English classes, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said Thursday.Students of English classes using robots as teaching assistants showed better learning achievements in speaking, as well as greater confidence and motivation, it said, citing a survey carried out by the Korea Education and Research Information Service (KERIS).The eight-week project was conducted from late December last year at three elementary schools in Daejeon and Masan, South Gyeongsang Province, as part of an initiative to make South Korea a leading robot developer by 2018.Two types of robots were used as teaching assistants during their English classes ― telepresence robots controlled remotely by teachers and autonomous robots equipped with a voice-recognition system to interact with students.The students showed notable improvement in speaking ability, along with increased interest and motivation in learning English.The robots were also effective in teaching subjects other than English, the ministry said, citing the results of another project it conducted at 10 Seoul-based schools.It introduced specially-developed "teaching machines" for classes of math, science and art for five weeks starting in November last year.The robots had a positive effect in giving students an equal learning opportunity and producing a higher level of engagement during classes, KERIS said. They also contributed to more creative and lively classes."Using teaching robots in classes is expected to raise the quality of public school education, thus leading to less dependence on the private education," said Kim Hong-joo, a ministry official.Also, an early start in teaching robot projects will be helpful in leading the new global market as the nation aims to be one of the top three global leaders in this field by 2013, he added.Based on the initial project, the government plans to further expand use of robot-based education programs this year.Consequent robot projects, including more research and development, will be carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, it said.