Learning of Tomorrow Learning of Tomorrow: Interview with the Aomori City Superintendent of Education—Dealing with Children Who Refuse to Attend School” Held At last week’s Learning of Tomorrow Online Lunch Symposium, Mr. Narita, Superintendent of Education for Aomori City, was a featured speaker.
Aomori City had previously implemented various measures to address school refusal, but these had not yielded significant results, and the number of students refusing to attend school had remained stable. However, during the temporary school closures, reports emerged that a large number of students who had been refusing to attend school were participating in remote classes.In response, the city launched a survey and found that as many as 74.6% of students who had been staying home from school participated in remote classes. Furthermore, after schools reopened, 92.5% of those who had participated in remote classes began attending school in person. Superintendent Narita described the situation as “hard to believe at first.”“Since no one else is coming to school, it doesn’t feel like a burden for me not to go,” “I’m interested in this new way of learning,” “I don’t have to worry about what the other kids think,” and “I don’t mind studying”—these are the words the children shared with school counselors. Children who had previously been in an environment where they wanted to learn but couldn’t had regained their right to learn through online classes.Aomori City has decided to implement a “one device per student” policy as part of the GIGA School Initiative.
I look forward to seeing what approach Aomori City—which is continuing its hybrid model of online and in-person education—will take to address the issue of school refusal, which is a nationwide challenge.
Professor, Keio University; Ph.D. (Policy and Media)
Director, B Lab
Chairperson, Learning of Tomorrow (General Incorporated Association)
Chairperson, CANVAS
After graduating from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, he served as a visiting researcher at the MIT Media Lab before founding the NPO CANVAS and the Learning of Tomorrow Association, a General Incorporated Association, and assuming the role of representative. He serves as an outside director for Matsuya Co., Ltd., Fuji Media Holdings, Inc., and Digital Garage, Inc.
He has served on various government committees, including the Information and Communications Council of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, as well as the NHK Central Broadcasting Program Council. He also serves as a director of the Digital Signage Consortium, among other roles. He holds a Ph.D. in Policy and Media.
His publications include *Turning On Children’s Creativity!*, *What Are Smart Kids Doing on Their Smartphones?*, *The Forefront of Online Education in Japan: Considering Learning in the Post-COVID Era*,“What Is Programming Education? 45 Questions Parents Want to Know,” and “Declaration on Digital Education.” He has also provided supervision for numerous works, including “Ah, I See! Programming Education for Parents and Children Through Manga.”
