Minister of Education begins his visit to Japan by holding a series of meetings
Mr. Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education, began his visit to Japan today by holding a series of meetings with a number of officials from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to learn about the Japanese experience in the field of education.
These meetings were attended by Mr. Obokata Yutaka, Director of the Special Needs Education Department, Primary and Secondary Education Bureau, Mr. Moto Hisayoshi, Director of the Curriculum Department, Primary and Secondary Education Bureau, Mr. Kawaguchi Takahiro, Deputy Director of the Information Technology Education Promotion Unit, School Digitization Project Team, Primary and Secondary Education Bureau, Ms. Kimura Keiko, Director of the Analytical Research Planning Department and Director of the Education Promotion Office "DX", Education Policy Bureau, and Mr. Ikeda Takakuni, Director General of the National Institute for Educational Policy Research.
Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif expressed his great happiness to visit Japan, stressing the deep and solid historical relations between the two countries, stressing that this visit reflects the desire to enhance cooperation in the field of education and exchange experiences between the two countries to achieve the best results for the benefit of students.
The Minister stressed that Japan is a role model thanks to its educational achievements and its innovative teaching methods that contribute to developing the level of education, noting that this visit represents a valuable opportunity to learn about the distinguished Japanese experience in the field of education.
The Minister also praised the model of Egyptian-Japanese schools, noting that they represent a bright and distinguished educational model that calls for pride, and has a positive impact on students because they are based on developing children's non-cognitive skills by enhancing their self-capabilities, social skills and the ability to build human relationships, in addition to consolidating moral values.
In this context, the discussion addressed ways to sustain the Egyptian-Japanese schools project, as Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif confirmed that the ministry has an ambitious plan to expand the number of schools, which currently stands at 58 schools in 26 governorates.
During the meetings, a number of topics related to the Japanese experience and the state's plan to develop education were reviewed, including the interest in students with special needs, as the method and system of teaching students with special needs in Japan were reviewed, as it is a system supported by the Japanese Ministry of Education in direct coordination with parents, and services are provided in specialized schools or integration schools in schools in two ways: the presence of students with special needs in special classes within schools, or the integration of a small number of integration students in classes of normal students (cases that allow direct integration in classes).
Students with special needs are supported in cooperation with parents by providing various services, whether educational or sometimes medical services.
During the meetings, the Minister was briefed on the strategy of the Japanese Ministry of Education in the field of curriculum development, as the Curriculum Department of the Japanese Ministry of Education presented a presentation in which it explained that the curricula are updated periodically every ten years, and include curricula, learning outcomes, and books, and are updated according to life changes and developments, and the results of research and evaluations implemented at the state level; To identify the strengths and weaknesses of students, and these points are taken into account in the periodic updating of curricula.
During these meetings, the quality of schools in Japan was also reviewed, as government schools represent the largest part of schools in Japan, and in all Japanese schools some subjects are taught compulsorily, namely the Japanese language and Japanese history, especially in the primary, middle and secondary years, which are compulsory years in education according to the Japanese constitution.
As for university admission, it is done by taking a special university admission exam that is set according to the special needs of each university, and every student, especially in major or higher universities, must pass the compulsory special subjects, namely the Japanese language and Japanese history.
In the field of technology and programming, the details of teaching programming and learning technology in Japanese schools were reviewed, as a tablet was distributed to each student since 2019, coinciding with the spread of the "Covid" epidemic, and programming is taught starting from the primary stage as a thought that is integrated into subjects such as arithmetic, science and other subjects, and in the advanced stages of study, programming is taught as a basic subject, as the scientific subject of programming and "ICT" aims to teach programming and use technology as a means to facilitate the study of other subjects, such as using technology in learning and using the Internet and using technological exchange with other schools or through research through technology and self-learning.
As for the Japanese experience in electronic assessment, an application was reviewed that includes 40,000 questions as a model for questions and is used by about one million students across Japan, and through this application, periodic assessments are conducted at the directorate level, and treatment plans are prepared for all areas of weakness in students, as they target speed of performance and relief for the teacher, and these assessments are corrected electronically in a way that contributes to attracting students to conduct assessments in parallel with addressing their areas of weakness and providing treatment plans.
In the context of reviewing the evaluation system, Japanese officials explained that a general evaluation is being conducted nationwide in April for sixth-grade and ninth-grade students in the subjects of Japanese language and mathematics with the aim of providing a remedial plan for weak points, and this is being done with the participation of the Curriculum Center for these plans.
Japan is at the forefront of the world in conducting evaluations, and local evaluations at the level of Japan, which are conducted every April, aim to evaluate the level of students and work to improve their level. The evaluation also aims not only at educational performance, but also includes measuring students' non-cognitive skills, as well as raising the level and satisfaction of students and expressing their opinions on the importance of the subjects taught to them, which contributes to the development of the academic, physical and psychological level of students on a regular basis.
The Minister was accompanied during the visit by Ms. Nevin Hamouda, the Minister's Advisor for Strategic Relations and Supervisor of Egyptian-Japanese Schools, Dr. Hanem Ahmed, the Minister's Advisor for International Relations and Agreements, and Ms. Amira Awad, the Ministry's Coordinator for United Nations Organizations.