This symposium was held to commemorate the promulgation and enforcement of the “Act on the Promotion of Information Technology in School Education.” We also present the responses from the panel discussion featuring the participants in Part 2.

The speakers for Part 2 were Mr. Koide, Representative of Google for Education Japan at Google G.K.; Mr. Kamino, CEO of COMPASS Co., Ltd.; Mr. Morishita, Department Manager at Mitsumura Tosho Publishing Co., Ltd.; and Mr. Otomobe, Department Manager at Amazon Web Services Japan K.K. Also participating were the speakers from Part 1.

[Question 1: Is Japan lagging behind in the digitization of education? What are the reasons?]
Mr. Koide
: “We’re behind in terms of IT education, but there’s huge room for growth!”
The first reason is the belief that things will somehow work out. There’s too much focus on test scores, so people think, “Since scores aren’t dropping, there’s no need to change anything.”The second reason is that, over the past 30 years, there has been a deeply ingrained belief that ICT is expensive and something to be feared.
Since we’re about three laps behind, wouldn’t we be able to jump ahead three laps if we accelerate now?
→ If we just gradually improve, we won’t make it in time—I agree. (by me)

Mr. Morishita
: “We’re constantly falling behind.”
Even after 10 years, the adoption rate of digital textbooks for teachers has only reached 50%. There’s no clear outlook on when the necessary infrastructure will be in place.
→According to MEXT data, it would take 25 years just to achieve the current target of one class out of every three. Who knows when we’ll reach one device per student… We need to consider a BYOD approach. (by me)

Mr
. Otofube: “Quality of Educational Services: Cutting-Edge / Adoption and Penetration: Lagging Behind”
The educational services developed in Japan are of extremely high quality and cutting-edge; they can win prestigious awards even in international competitions. However, they fail to gain widespread adoption.

Mr. Kamino
: “A Lack of Understanding of Legal Interpretation and the System”
(From a discussion on teacher training…) The structure of the teaching certification system also needs to be reexamined. Would it be possible to establish a provisional certification system?

Additional Point: How does the education industry view the global market?
Mr.
Otofube: Due in part to language barriers, the industry tends to focus solely on the Japanese market, putting it at a different starting point than overseas startups that target the global market from the very beginning.

Mr.
Kamino: Currently, EdTech unicorns are emerging only from two countries: China and India. Not even the United States has produced any. The reasons are the overwhelming population boom and the low quality of education.
Japan’s K-12 education market isn’t large. Its market size is likely just under 1 trillion yen. Even Benesse, the long-established company that is by far the market leader, has a market capitalization of only 300 billion yen. In China, there are three or four companies with market capitalizations exceeding 1 trillion yen.
(The conversation then shifts to the topic of cram schools in terms of the market…)

Section Chief
Asano: Cram schools are being called upon to shift from a labor-intensive business model to a more efficient, high-productivity one. In some cases, best practices from cram schools are being adopted by elementary and middle schools to improve efficiency. Schools and private educational institutions should work together.

[Question 2: Can Japan become a frontrunner in the integration of ICT into education? What are the challenges and actions needed to achieve this?]
Mr. Morishita
: “Develop a plan.”
Formulating an implementation plan should not be the end goal. We must establish a steering committee, develop a plan, and create model schools. And we must push forward until we see changes in classroom instruction and in the students themselves.

Mr. Kamino
: “The next five years will be decisive. We can do it now.”
Currently, Japan’s EdTech standards are high compared to other countries. If we promote its adoption now, we can remain at the forefront. However, the situation will likely change in five years, so if we stay as we are, we’ll be left in the dust.

Mr. Otofube
: “It’s Possible / Government × Private Sector × Consumers (Students)”
Students can use whatever they want, whenever they want. That’s where the private sector comes in. Creating that kind of environment is the greatest driving force.

Mr. Koide
: “Yes, let’s prepare 13 million units! If possible, / a new form of education in countries facing these challenges—using technology.”
We can procure 1 million units for 100 billion yen. For 13 million people, that would be 1.3 trillion yen. Let’s roll this out over a three-year plan.

[Question 3: Can Japan Become a Global Leader in Education in the Age of AI?]
Mr
. Koide: “If we can find what comes after AI…”
We won’t be able to catch up with China and India, which are investing massive amounts of money in AI. Let’s find what comes after AI.
Ideas, creativity, and the drive to take action are crucial. Let’s find what comes after AI.

Mr. Kanno
: “The next five years will be decisive. We can do it now.”
To become a global leader in the AI era, the next five years will be decisive. However, even if we were to fall behind, the Japanese people are highly capable, so there’s a possibility we could catch up to the global leaders by around 2045 or 2050.

Mr. Morishita
: “Connecting Schools, Homes, and Communities.”
Going forward, it will be important to collect, analyze, and utilize study logs. This will also serve as a tool to connect schools, homes, and tutoring centers.

[Question: Finally]
Professor
Ishibashi, when I went on a fact-finding mission to South Korea, I saw that each school there had a budget of 200 million yen allocated for facility improvements.At best, this would allow school principals to install equipment such as 3D printers.
We must use this legislation to spark explosive economic growth and make a decisive move within the next three to five years. That requires political resolve. If we fail to do so, we’ll still be debating the same issues ten years from now. I’m committed to tackling this with determination. Let’s give it our all in this all-out effort.

Professor
Moriyama: If we can enact legislation, it will be easier to request funding from the Ministry of Finance, but securing a budget involves competition. That is precisely why public consensus is so important. The question is whether we can reach a consensus to increase budget requests—even if it means taking on debt—as a form of forward-looking investment. Furthermore, precisely because we live in a digital age, real-world experiences are also important.

Professor
Nakagawa: If we want to rank among the world’s best within 3 to 5 years, we really need to make a leap forward. Selling 15 million units is crucial. We’ll explore various methods, such as leasing, and move forward with them. The conclusion is: “Let’s make full use of this law.”

(Reference)
Part 1 Preliminary Report
http://canvas.ws/nanako/?p=18855
Part 1 Panelists' Responses
http://canvas.ws/nanako/?p=19010
Part 2 Preliminary Report
http://canvas.ws/nanako/?p=18900

Reports are also available on the Learning of Tomorrow's website.
http://lot.or.jp/wp/project/1349/
http://lot.or.jp/wp/project/1363/