Monday, September 30th, 2019
Education, Science and Technology
MEXT Minister HAGIUDA Koichi and Parliamentary Vice-Minister AOYAMA Shuhei visited Fukushima Prefecture to inspect the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), the Tomioka Elementary and Junior High School and the Futaba Mirai Gakuen Junior and Senior High School.
At the JAEA Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science, an international research hub where researchers from all over the world collaborate on advancing decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, the minister inspected cutting-edge research and development.
The Tomioka Municipal Elementary and Junior High School has reopened in the Tomioka Daiichi Junior High School building. At present, the Tomika campus and Miharu campus are utilizing ICT to carry out remote joint classes. Minister Hagiuda received an explanation on how the municipality has developed an education curricula to cultivate social skills even for a small number of students. The minister then held a meeting with the Mayor of Tomioka Town, MIYAMOTO Koichi, and the superintendent of education ISHII Kenichi.
At the Futaba Mirai Gakuen Junior and Senior High School, Minister Hagiuda met with the Mayor of Hirono Town, ENDO Satoshi, and the superintendent of the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education, SUZUKI Junichi, followed by a visit to the new school ground classrooms, and a local get-together space with a café run by students. Two students made a presentation on projects designed to solve regional issues through inquiry-based learning.
After the visit, Minister Hagiuda said he was resolved to support people’s efforts to preserve their hometowns. The minister said schools are not only places for children to study, but also function to serve the community and for disaster prevention. Minister Hagiuda said while schools now face a variety of issues including downsizing, school environments must be changed by further examining the problems and proposals arising from these outstanding issues.
