Yesterday, early in the morning, I attended the general meeting of the Cross-Party Parliamentary League on Education ICT, and at noon, the board meeting of Learning of Tomorrow, where we had a lively discussion about the GIGA School Initiative. As Acting Chairman Masaharu Nakagawa also pointed out, the tone of the discussion
at the Cross-Party Parliamentary League meeting seemed to signal a shift in direction.
Attending the general meeting were Chairman Toshiaki Endo, Secretary-General Masahito Moriyama, Executive Director Michihiro Ishibashi, and three former Ministers of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology: Mr. Masaharu Nakagawa, Mr. Takeo Kawamura, and Mr. Hiroshi Hase. Representatives from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), as well as expert members, also participated.

Just a rough summary for my notes. Professor
Endo mentioned the 231.8 billion yen supplementary budget as one of the achievements resulting from the passage of the bipartisan promotion bill.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology provided an explanation regarding the GIGA School Initiative.
The breakdown of the 231.8 billion yen is 130 billion yen for network infrastructure and 100 billion yen for device procurement.
In this fiscal year’s supplementary budget, the national government will cover 80% of the costs. Considering that the government covered only 60% of the costs for air conditioning installations, this represents generous support. For now, the
device rollout will target students from 5th grade through the first year of junior high school, with the goal of providing one device per student to all elementary and junior high school students by Reiwa 5. Based on an estimated subsidy of 45,000 yen per unit, models running three different operating systems were presented. Additionally, LTE is recommended in addition to Wi-Fi.

Comprehensive comments from Professor Hashi:
• Shouldn’t we ensure schools are properly equipped—including the use of Local 5G—so that they can also serve as disaster response hubs? → Promote this, including the installation of fiber-optic infrastructure and pilot projects for 5G.(Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)
• Can all subjects be taught digitally? → We will utilize digital tools in all subjects. To that end, the introduction of digital textbooks is crucial, and we will begin full-scale implementation starting with the revised textbooks in Reiwa 6. (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)
• Shouldn’t these tools also be utilized in special needs education? → We believe they are particularly well-suited for special needs education.(Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)
・Shouldn’t this be used for cross-curricular learning?→It should. We should promote learning that breaks down the barriers between subjects. (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)
・Shouldn’t the methods of assessment—and even the format of entrance exams—change in the future?→Of course they should.Entrance exams will likely incorporate Computer-Based Testing (CBT), and content that could not be assessed through two-dimensional means will be included in the exams. (MEXT)
• Will they be distributed to children who are not attending school? → They will be distributed to children enrolled in elementary and junior high school. The decision on whether students can take them home is left to the local municipalities. Ownership does not belong to the children. However, we would like them to be able to take them home. (MEXT)

Rep
. Sakurai: We’ve been talking mostly about hardware, but isn’t the content what really matters? I believe this will fundamentally and dramatically transform the learning environment—but are the necessary preparations in place?
→ I believe it is crucial to consider how we can utilize tools that are already being pioneered in the private sector.We are also considering the creation of blacklists or whitelists, and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) will play a certain role in this process. We are researching
new teaching methods and are considering video distribution and outreach campaigns. (MEXT)
→ Simply having a computer makes a difference. Just by using a search engine, students can access information from around the world. It also enables them to write long essays while revising their work and to provide peer feedback on each other’s writing.
　Furthermore, there is AI-generated content tailored to individual cognitive characteristics and levels of understanding. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is allocating a budget of 2.3 billion yen to enhance software and content. Once every student has their own computer, it will also be possible to introduce content from private companies. (METI)

* Councilmember Sakurai expressed concern that the purchase of private-sector content by parents could widen the gap.

Councilmember
Saito, while we appreciate the supplementary budget, implementation is extremely difficult. The larger the municipality, the harder it is for them to cope.Construction work is also limited to weekends or long holidays, making it difficult for contractors to accommodate. Can’t we carry this over for another year?
→ Implementation is a challenge. We will work closely with local governments. While the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) cannot officially authorize a one-year carryover, we will do our best. (MEXT)
How will you strengthen the ICT support staff?
→ We will launch the ICT Advisor Program starting next fiscal year.We will enhance support in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. (MEXT)
How will school administrative support contribute to work-style reform?
→ We are making progress on introducing school administrative support systems. We will use digitization to drive work-style reform. (MEXT)
What about update costs for additional apps? Will they be leased or purchased?
→ Either leasing or purchasing is acceptable. (MEXT)

Rep
. Ishibashi: “There’s no subsidy for LTE—isn’t this just a push toward Wi-Fi? Shouldn’t the government’s support remain neutral?
” → Wi-Fi involves high initial costs, while LTE involves high operating costs. The funds in this supplementary budget cannot be used for operating costs. This plan takes into account the fact that schools are particularly vulnerable when it comes to operating costs. (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)

Rep
. Okamoto: If we encourage students to bring their own devices, won’t that widen the gap based on household circumstances? With Wi-Fi, disparities between households would widen, but wouldn’t LTE eliminate that gap?
→ To be honest, we’d like to have both LTE and Wi-Fi. Schools
only have an operating budget of 5 million yen per school. That operating budget covers not only communication costs but also utilities and other expenses.
　Ultimately, it will likely become a BYOD system. Who will bear the cost requires further consideration. (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)

*After that, a lively discussion ensued about whether it might be important to increase the running budget.

At the Learning of Tomorrow Association’s board meeting, lively discussions took place regarding the need to focus efforts on initiatives for the next phase—such as BYOD—in light of the resurgence of proposals for smartphone usage regulations, which are reminiscent of the debates over cell phone regulations that took place 10 years ago.