I gave a presentation titled “Infrastructure Development and Cutting-Edge Reforms for Learning of Tomorrow” at the Cabinet Office’s Regulatory Reform Council.

In 2002, I founded CANVAS, an NPO dedicated to fostering children’s creativity and expressive abilities in the information society, and began offering workshops—including programming classes—across the country. At the time, the barriers within the school system were high, so we started with after-school programs.Our workshop collection—which brings together self-directed, collaborative, and creative learning experiences—attracted 100,000 participants in just two days, making it clear to us that demand from the private sector had grown significantly.

In 2010, the Digital Textbook and Teaching Materials Council (DiTT) was established to promote the integration of information technology into school education. The council has advocated for the implementation of three key initiatives: “one device per student,” “wireless LAN in classrooms,” and “digital textbooks for all subjects.” Hiroshi Komiyama, former president of the University of Tokyo, serves as the council’s representative.At the time of its establishment, there was strong criticism from the government and the academic community that the initiative was premature.

We have proposed various policies, many of which have been incorporated into the government’s IT strategies and intellectual property plans.
In 2012, we proposed the establishment of a system for digital textbooks and drafted a bill. Subsequently, momentum grew among companies and local governments, and infrastructure was developed using radio spectrum usage fees. Then, after six years, legislative amendments for digital textbooks were enacted last year. Making programming education mandatory also became government policy.

A bipartisan “Parliamentary League for Promoting the Use of ICT in Education” was also formed in the National Diet. In addition to Chairman Toshiaki Endo, a member of the House of Representatives, and Secretary-General Michihiro Ishibashi, a member of the House of Councillors, the league includes 83 members, including former ministers from both the ruling and opposition parties.We, as private-sector advisors, also participated in the work, drafting the “Bill on the Promotion of Information Technology in School Education,” which was submitted to the Diet.In conjunction with the establishment of a framework through a government bill to formalize digital textbooks, comprehensive measures—such as local governments formulating and implementing promotion plans—are expected to lead to significant progress in the informatization of school education, including the increased utilization of local fiscal measures that had previously been left to the discretion of local governments.

However, the digitization of Japan’s schools remains at a developing-country level. In elementary schools, there is one computer for every 5.6 students. Ten years ago, the ratio was one computer for every seven students, and although the goal is one computer per student, progress has been slow. Ten years ago, the United States had one computer for every three students; it is no exaggeration to say that Japan lags behind. Only 34.4 percent of classrooms have wireless LAN access.

Japan has the lowest percentage of students using computers and the Internet both in and out of school among OECD countries. The percentage of students who use computers for group work at school is 82% in Norway, 45% on average across the OECD, and 7.4% in Japan. The percentage of students who use the Internet for school assignments is 94% in the Netherlands, 86% on average across the OECD, and 44% in Japan.

What we need to do now is improve the infrastructure for digital education. Even if we talk about digital textbooks and programming, without computers or internet access, students simply can’t use them in the first place. I want to move toward EdTech as soon as possible, but it still feels like a long way off.Although the national government has allocated an annual budget of 180 billion yen, these funds are distributed through the Local Allocation Tax system, and local governments are diverting them to other purposes. The mechanisms to redirect these funds toward education are weak. I believe that enacting the “Act on the Promotion of Educational Informatization”—currently under consideration in the Diet, as mentioned earlier—would be an effective way to advance the deployment of computers and internet access.Although digital textbooks are set to be institutionalized, the system is still based on the premise of paper textbooks. These laws and guidelines should be reviewed to promote their use. Article 11 of the proposed bill also stipulates that the structure of the textbook system should be subject to ongoing review. I hope the system will be structured so that progress can be made based on the discretion of those on the front lines.

The next immediate step is to establish an environment for smart education. We are entering an era of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). While there are finally signs that schools are becoming more open to allowing students to bring their smartphones to school, the government should provide guidance on revising school rules so that these devices can also be used for learning. Furthermore, to enable learning on any device through BYOD, the use of cloud services and standardization are essential.

That cloud platform has strict security measures, and there is also the challenge of not connecting schools to the cloud. The digitization of school administrative tasks—which is closely tied to how teachers work—has not progressed, and the culture of relying on fax machines persists. Cloud usage remains limited to only a very small portion of schools. While local ordinances and guidelines in each municipality should be revised, the national government should provide guidance and promote the adoption of cloud technology in schools.
Regarding digital textbooks, the Copyright Act has been amended to make their implementation easier; however, copyright issues remain a challenge for reference books, workbooks, and other teaching materials, which are even more important. Currently, private-sector entities such as DiTT are working to establish copyright management schemes. I believe it is realistic to encourage and support this initiative.

The next step is to promote Learning of Tomorrow. The world is already two steps ahead of us. Moving beyond digital education via PCs and smart education enabled by BYOD and the cloud, we are now entering the era of Learning of Tomorrow and EdTech, driven by technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and AI.

I’ve decided to call the possibilities brought about by ultra-smart technologies—such as IoT, blockchain, and AI—“Learning of Tomorrow.”

It has the potential to bring about changes that reexamine the content, environment, and assessment of learning—including subjects, exams, and schools.

In terms of academic subjects, AI will likely enable hyper-personalized learning that spans multiple disciplines. This will require a reorganization of the curriculum, which could call into question the content and very existence of textbook certification and the national curriculum guidelines.

Furthermore, by storing all learning records on the blockchain, there will likely be no need for exams. This will raise questions about the very nature of entrance exams.
Such changes will make it possible to design learning environments that transcend the boundaries of educational institutions, such as grade levels and schools. It may even lead to a reevaluation of the school system itself.

In Japan, too, there has been a growing trend—particularly among startups—toward developing AI-based educational materials, but this is still in its early stages. While data such as learning histories is necessary for developing educational AI, AI researchers are largely bypassing the education sector because of the lack of awareness among educators and their strong resistance.

China has made the use of AI in education a national strategy and is installing cameras and sensors in classrooms to collect data—such as children’s facial expressions and learning histories—with the aim of applying it to educational reform. The country intends to expand this educational environment globally.South Korea, a pioneer in digital education, also aimed to capture the global market by having its government take the lead in developing educational materials and learning environments. Japan lags behind U.S. and Chinese companies in AI development and is falling behind the rest of the world in the digitization of education. However, if we continue to rely on other countries in this field, we cannot envision a bright future for our nation.

Therefore, we propose establishing an industry-academia collaboration platform to “implement” trans-disciplinary education, trans-exam systems, and trans-school models. Why not create a world-leading learning environment through a consortium of educational institutions—spanning early childhood, elementary, secondary, and higher education, as well as lifelong learning, both domestically and internationally—and private-sector companies?
○ Concentrated investment
in all technologies comprising digital, smart, and ultra-smart systems ○ Strengthening
collaboration between industry and education ○ Designing
new learner-centered learning environments ○ Flexible operations
that transcend traditional school boundaries, such as grade skipping, credit transfer, and course completion certification ○ Development
of online and distance learning, as well as virtual and in-person learning environments across multiple locations ○Developing and expanding
next-generation educational systems, services, and teaching materials overseas ○ Utilizing data such as learning histories Through
these initiatives, we will cultivate ultra-smart talent to lead the next generation.

Last year, we established the Learning of Tomorrow Association to create a new educational environment that integrates education and technology, including the development of educational infrastructure and cutting-edge educational programs. With the participation of more than 30 industry organizations in the IT, software, and content sectors—and the government participating as an observer—we have established a collaborative framework involving industry, government, and academia. DiTT is also set to join this initiative this spring.

Its objectives include designing and implementing future learning environments that transcend traditional school boundaries; introducing cutting-edge technologies such as AI, IoT, and blockchain into education; and supporting EdTech businesses.In collaboration with government-affiliated research institutions such as RIKEN, AIST, and NICT, as well as foreign companies, the organization is running working groups on AI, VR, blockchain, and other technologies. There is also strong demand for implementations utilizing big data, particularly in special economic zones.

We have also formed a community of advisory board members comprising leading figures in this field. These advisory board members are deeply committed to addressing issues in education and technology, and I believe it would be beneficial to leverage this open and powerful private-sector community.

In summary, the goal is to advance infrastructure development and cutting-edge reforms aimed at "Learning of Tomorrow.
" This breaks down into the following four points: 1. Developing
the environment for digital education; 2. Developing
the environment for smart education; 3. Developing and implementing
Learning of Tomorrow; and 4. Promoting the Learning of Tomorrow Project.

[Reference] http://www.canvas.ws/nanako/PDF/nanako20190226.pdf