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3. Japan's response to the Dakar Framework for Action

1.   Recognizing the importance of cooperation in elementary and middle school education

    Elementary and middle school education (including pre-school and female education), which constitutes the central goal of the Dakar Framework for Action (See Annex 3(PDF: 81KB)), creates a foundation for cooperation in high school education and the development of people in a variety of other situations and it is, in fact, precisely because this foundation of human resources exists that technical assistance and other forms of cooperation have the potential to develop over time in a coherent whole.
  Cooperation in elementary and middle school education could thus have an important part to play in raising the whole level, and assisting the future development, of Japanese ODA cooperation and it is for this reason important for Japan to prioritize cooperation in elementary and middle school education in order to attain the primary goal of the Dakar Framework for Action.

  One important point to bear in mind when executing cooperative programs of this sort in developing countries is that they should be targeted not just at children but at the community as a whole, including parents, young people, and other adults.
  It should also be remembered that by adding an intellectual layer to Japan's existing contributions, which have tended to focus on material aid in the form of school buildings and the like, we will be further enhancing the efficacy of our cooperative contributions to elementary and middle school education.
  In addition to the "utilization of Japan's educational experience", the conclusions drawn during these discussions have also been reflected in the BEGIN: Basic Education for Growth Initiative.

2.   International cooperation in education based on the effective use of Japan's educational experience

    When utilizing the experience gained by Japan in making education the focus of its own national reconstruction program, it is important that Japan should concentrate its cooperative effort in areas in which it has particular expertise. This is important in that it will enable Japan not only to secure a leading role in cooperation projects but also to provide countries with effective help in developing their education systems by utilizing specific areas of Japanese expertise.
  Since the educational needs of developing countries also vary widely depending on their traditions and culture, it will be no easy matter to apply Japanese experience as is to their situations. Clearly, Japan's educational experience will need to be modified in some way to accommodate the educational needs of developing countries. To this end, Japan will need to take full account of what has been achieved in ODA projects undertaken by domestic ministries and government agencies and by international aid agencies of one sort or another, and use this to encourage developing countries to take greater responsibility for themselves.

  From the standpoint of the six main goals of the Dakar Framework for Action, which are the common educational targets of the developing countries, and in light of Japan's own educational experience, there are currently 10 areas in which Japan could usefully contribute to international cooperation in education projects in developing countries, as shown in Annex 3. Of these, Japan has a wealth of experience cooperating in projects in three areas but only limited experience in the other seven areas.
  In addition to the above, Japan's history of securing the widespread availability of state education while at the same time improving the quality of education will itself provide an excellent example in areas such as educational administration and school management, which are generally applicable across the whole spectrum. This has been of particular interest to developing countries and should make a significant contribution to the achievement of all the Dakar Framework for Action goals.

(1)   Areas in which Japan has ample prior experience cooperating with developing countries

Math and science education, teacher training system, vocational training + Generally applicable skills (educational administration, school management, etc.)

1   Sharing and passing on of cooperation experience
  Given the high level of need among developing countries in these areas, it is important that rather than responding to requests on an individual basis, Japan should collate, share, and pass on to the teachers it plans to send overseas experience of a sort that will have common application in every sector, while always allowing for differences in the circumstances of each developing country.
  For the time being, it will be appropriate for Japan to concentrate its efforts in the fields of science and mathematics teaching, teacher training systems, and generally applicable skills, all of which are in constant demand in developing countries.
2   Potential policy initiatives
○   Accumulation and collation of the experience and know-how of various types of cooperation agency and organization.
○   Selection of examples of success and drawing of lessons from the various participating organizations.
○   Preparation of various teaching aids that will have common application in actual cooperation projects (guides for local teachers in developing countries, various educational aids, anthologies of problems, progress tests, etc.).
○   Research into, and preparation of, activities with common application in actual cooperation projects (including cautions in respect of special factors applicable in certain countries and regions).
○   Provision of common information to people who are to be sent overseas.

(2)   Areas in which Japan has limited prior experience cooperating with developing countries

Pre-school education, environmental education, homemaking education, woman’s education, education for handicapped children, health education (including school health and school lunch), school facilities *2

1   Strengthening the provision of information and the dialogue process regarding Japan's educational experience
  Since developing countries may not have adequate information about, or a sufficient understanding of, Japan's educational experiences in these areas, it is important for us to establish a process of dialogue and discussion that will enable the usefulness of Japan's educational experience to be tested out in developing countries.
2   Potential policy initiatives
○   Invitations to interested parties in developing countries to visit Japan, participate in workshops, and the like.
○   Advice and exchange through the provision of information from Japan via media such as the Internet.
○   Joint local analysis in association with developing countries of local problems and examination of areas of potential cooperation.
○   Consideration of cooperation through ODA and the like in response to specific requests from developing countries.

  At the same time, relevant rules and regulations will be translated into English, and materials needed for the provision of information, including depictions of actual teaching situations in Japan, will be collated and prepared, and the related management systems strengthened.
(3)   Utilization of Japan's educational experience through tie-ups with international organizations
  In cases in which Japan's educational experience can be put to good use as a value-added element in fields in which international organizations such as UNESCO have already established track records of cooperation in developing countries, it would make sense for Japan to seek tie-ups with such organizations.

  It would be possible, in areas such as health education, for example, in which Japan has little prior experience cooperating with developing countries, for Japan to utilize its dietary educational experience, including nutrition-related education, as a value-added element. However, if we are to put our experience in health education to good use, particularly in Asia, it is important that we should seek to establish ties with the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNESCO, which already have ample experience working with developing countries.
  In the case of anti-illiteracy education and non-formal education, in addition to tying up with UNESCO, which has experience in these areas, and making use of its own experience, Japan must also continue to amplify and develop the Terakoya Movement, "community education centers", and the like.

3.   Use of in-service teachers to promote cooperation that reveals the sincere "fellow-feeling" of the Japanese

    Japan's in-service teachers *3 have a wealth of practical educational experience and skills in areas such as the preparation of guidelines, the development of educational materials, and various guidance techniques and represent, as such, an important human resource for promoting the sort of international cooperation in education that shows the sincere "fellow-feeling" of the Japanese people. Around 4.3% of in-service teachers (approximately 40,000 teachers) are also estimated to be interested in working in the field of international cooperation *4. Furthermore, since most of those involved in international development cooperation today trace the start of their interest back to contact in middle school and/or high school with someone who had done the same thing, it is hoped that the growing number of teachers in Japanese schools who have also taken part in programs in developing countries will help swell the supply of human resources to take part in international development cooperation in the future.
  Since in-service teachers did not participate in ODA projects in particularly large numbers, arrangements were made on the basis of a suggestion made by the previous Committee on International Cooperation in Education, held in 2000, that a Special In-service Teacher Participation Scheme be established to enable in-service teachers to participate in the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers *5 (it is currently planned to send a total of 63 teachers overseas following recruitment to the scheme in 2001).

  Local authorities view participation in the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers as being extremely effective training for the teachers themselves. However, volunteers are still not being recruited in sufficient numbers. This may be due to: (1) the difficulty experienced by head teachers in promoting the scheme due to inadequate advance information about the situation in the target territory and the nature of the duties to be performed; (2) doubts on the part of in-service teachers with minimal experience of life in developing countries about whether they will be capable of adequately demonstrating their specialist expertise and skills in a developing country; and (3) limitation of the number of people recruited due to the burden placed by the scheme on local authority finances.
  To stimulate greater participation in the scheme by in-service teachers, the amount of publicity concerning teachers already involved in the scheme will need to be substantially increased and more will need to be done to secure the understanding of other interested parties. It is also important to strengthen the system of support for in-service teachers selected for dispatch overseas to ensure that they receive basic details of what they will be expected to do in advance along with a selection of examples of cooperation work in progress and teaching aids of the sort that should be useful to all. The support system should also include pre-departure training, and opportunities for guidance and consultation while actually overseas.
  Local authorities have also shown a keen desire to make themselves a more visible part of the assistance process and it will therefore be necessary to consider measures such as giving them greater independence as dispatchers of volunteers and establishing the dispatch scheme on a longer term basis.

  Furthermore, when encouraging greater participation by in-service teachers, consideration should also be given to the inclusion of teachers of 40 or more who are not currently considered for the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers. The average age of in-service teachers as of October 1998 was 41.8 and in-service teachers of upwards of 40 accounted for almost 60% of the whole. In practice, a good deal of support has already been expressed for the recruitment of in-service teachers of more than 40 years of age.
  The best approach would be to recruit in-service teachers of 40 or more through the medium of a Senior Overseas Volunteer program, which could be patterned after the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers in that (1) pre-departure training and other activities would be timed to fit in with the Japanese school year, and (2) recruitment would be handled by local authority education committees.
  However, since there have as yet been no requests from the education authorities of developing countries for the dispatch of in-service teachers of more than 40 years of age, we will need both to continue to carefully identify the needs of developing countries and at the same time to encourage the understanding and cooperation of local authorities and head teachers with respect to the recruitment and dispatch of in-service teachers. It is for these reasons important that the participation of older in-service teachers as Senior Overseas Volunteers should be carried out in stages on a trial basis in line with the needs of developing countries.
  There are also many who would like to see the knowledge and experience of retired teachers put to use in international cooperation in education. The best approach would be for recruitment to be undertaken by local authority education committees, which already hold retired teachers' records, and for selected volunteers to join the Senior Overseas Volunteer program.

  The biggest problem faced in international cooperation in education is that of Japanese teachers making themselves understood in the local language. However, it is hoped that this problem will be overcome by a combination of JICA's pre-departure language courses, local language training, and the teachers' own ongoing efforts to master the local language.

4.   "Cooperation base-system" to strengthen cooperation in elementary and middle school education

 
(1)   Need for, and significance of "cooperation base-system" (from an individual to systematic response)
  Up to now, we have examined the importance of utilizing Japan's educational experience and in-service teachers and considered practical ways of achieving this goal. If these ambitions are to be realized, we will need to establish "cooperation base-system" to smooth the path of domestic implementation (See Annex 4(PDF: 175KB)).
  Our inability to transfer Japan's cooperation experience directly to developing countries has already been mentioned. Particular account must also be taken of cultural and social differences at the elementary and middle school levels.
  To date, however, it has frequently been the case that consideration has been given to the nature of cooperation undertaken and to the production of specific teaching materials in response to individual requests. Much has also been done in this respect by individual specialists and volunteers while working in the field.
  By enabling Japan to marshal its cooperation-related experience and know-how at home in readiness to respond to requests for cooperation, the "cooperation base-system" would enable Japan to organize the quality, quantity, and timing of its cooperative efforts and, in so doing, to provide a suitable, systematic response to requests from developing countries
  To this end, a Center for International Cooperation in Education has been set up in Hiroshima University and University of Tsukuba, both of which have track records in international cooperation in education, to act as the twin core of "cooperation base-systems" that constitutes a network of organizations including everything from national, public, and private organizations to NGOs and private corporations. The activities of the network, which are in no way limited in terms of individual ministerial spheres of interest or by a public-private sector divide but are carried out with the cooperation of all the interested organizations, are described below.
(2)   Functions and activities
1   "Sharing of cooperation experience" to reinforce educational cooperation, Japan's great strength
  The BEGIN: Basic Education for Growth Initiative also recognizes the fundamental importance of science and mathematics teaching, teacher training, and generally applicable skills such as educational administration and school management. It further notes that this is an area in which Japan has particular cooperation experience. Our aim must be to collect and analyze the records of our cooperative experience in these areas and to use them to develop models of cooperation (nature of activity, teaching materials, etc.) that will be of general use in the field.
  We will also need to study regions and countries with which we have only limited experience of previous cooperation, and devise new methods of cooperation.
  Japan must also take steps to analyze international trends in both individual and generally applicable areas of activity and in educational cooperation in general while at the same time projecting a positive image of Japan's experience of cooperation in these areas.
2   Support for in-service teachers prior to be dispatched (passing on of shared cooperation experience)
  It is important that the core universities referred to above should cooperate closely with local universities to provide prospective members of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and Senior Overseas Volunteers with advice and guidance prior to their projected departure. This should take the form of the accumulated record of Japan's experience in this field along with model approaches to cooperation in the field, the ultimate aim being to improve the suitability of in-service teachers with little experience working in developing countries.

  More specifically, cooperation models and the like will be used in pre-departure courses to provide in-service teachers with visual impressions of the sort of work they will be required to perform. Consultation for the resolution of problems will also be provided via the Internet for teachers out in the field.
  It is also hoped that experiences gained by in-service teachers in developing countries will also be recycled via the "cooperation base-systems", thereby adding value to Japan's cooperation experience.
3   Support to encourage activity in areas in which Japan has little experience of cooperation
  In areas in which Japan has minimal experience of cooperation (school health care, environmental education, etc.), we must either establish field-specific groups or set up a central organization of some sort to marshal our educational experience and offer a wider range of information to developing countries through dialogue and other contacts.
  In this case, it would be extremely useful if the core universities of the "cooperation base-systems" were also to sit in on group discussions and provide advice on a range of topics from generally applicable subjects, such as educational administration, to international trends in educational cooperation, thereby providing indirect support for cooperative activity in areas in which Japan has little prior experience.
  As with support for in-service teachers, progress made in cooperative ventures in areas in which Japan has little previous experience and practical experience gained in developing countries will be recycled through the "cooperation base-systems".

*2   Methods of drawing up medium and long-term facility plans, and the use of school facilities as focal points for the local community
*3 As of May 2001, there were approximately 930,000 in-service teachers working in state nursery schools; elementary, middle, and high schools; blind and deaf schools; and schools for the physically handicapped.
*4 Estimate based on "Research into how best to identify, secure, and utilize human resources for international cooperation in education" （January 1999） by Ryou Watanabe, Head of Cooperation, International Research Department, National Institute for Educational Policy Research.
*5 Until this year, only in-service teachers were recruited under the terms of the Special In-service Teacher Participation Scheme. However, in recognition of their potential usefulness to the cause of international cooperation, the scope of recruitment has recently been extended to include local authority education committee employees with educational expertise, and with knowledge and experience of educational processes and of the provision of educational guidance in schools.

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