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Educational researchers from abroad learn about peace education in Hiroshima

by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer

On January 9, a special program of Hiroshima University’s graduate school of education was launched in the city of Hiroshima and other locations. Under the program, educational researchers from abroad were invited to the A-bombed city of Hiroshima and learned about peace education activities. Each person, one from each of five countries, including the United States and Singapore, is participating in the program. They will observe school classrooms in Hiroshima Prefecture and participate in discussions with people involved until January 15.

The graduate school of education was the only one in Japan that joined in the global network of universities related to education in February 2019. This was used as an opportunity for Hiroshima University’s Educational Vision Research Institute, located in the city of Higashihiroshima, to plan the special program for the first time. The institute asked ten other universities in ten countries joined in the network to participate in the program and chose five people from those interested.

On January 9, the participants visited Shinonome Elementary and Junior High Schools, both affiliated with Hiroshima University, located in Minami Ward. There, they observed a social studies class and saw the students eating school lunch. They learned about peace education from Eiji Tani, a vice-principal of the elementary school, and learned that the students, during peace education, listen to A-bomb survivors’ experiences and visit old battle sites in Okinawa Prefecture.

Agnaldo Arroiro, 45, an associate professor at University of Sao Paulo, said he wanted to know how peace education in Hiroshima had developed because the number of conflicts between religions and races were increasing. He also said we live in a world of uncertainty, and that he thought peace education could go to good use in other disputed areas.

During their time in the program the participants plan to visit the Hiroshima Eichi Gakuen, or Hiroshima Global Academy, located in Osakikamijima-cho, Hiroshima Prefecture, to observe peace education, and visit Hiroshima Municipal Motomachi Senior High School, located in Naka Ward, to see students depicting drawings of the atomic bombing.

(Originally published on January 10, 2020)

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