On October 18 2022, Mr. Tanaka, our CEO, discussed various issues related to education with Dr. Biswajit Saha, Director of Skill & Training, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). We thank Dr. Biswajit Saha for taking time out of his busy schedule, which includes the Diwali holiday next week in India.
The impact of linguistic diversity on the field of education was raised during today’s discussion.
Schools in India can be broadly divided into government schools and private schools.
In government schools, classes are conducted in the local language, while in private schools, all subjects are taught in English. (Depending on the level of the school, classes may be mixed with the local language.)
Many parents often want to enroll their children in private schools for their children’s future.
However, here is one of the challenges mentioned by Dr. Biswajit Saha in this issue.
Parents of the lower-middle class speak the local language and cannot understand English, while their children have to attend classes in English, use English textbooks, and do their homework in English.
Parents are unable to support their children’s studies at home, and they are unable to accurately assess their children’s grades and abilities.
It was a very intense time of discussion on how India can solve these problems, interlinking with stories of the Japanese education system.
We also exchanged views on other measures to improve 21st-century skills in the school curriculum and to promote more active exchanges between Japanese and Indian educators and students.