Japan's Official Development Assistance White Paper 2009
(3) Development Education
Development education and issues faced by developing countries are taught as part of the learning objectives for the "Period for Integrated Study," a course implemented nationwide at schools of all three levels of elementary, junior high, and senior high school. In order to promote development education, MOFA has a variety of proactive efforts in place. For instance, it launched a webpage to promote development education in compulsory education at elementary and junior high schools, "Tanken Shiyo! Minna no Chikyu (Let's Explore Our Planet)" on its own website, while video and other materials are often provided on the Plaza for International Cooperation website. Since FY 2003, the "Global Education Contest" (Note 54) has also been held, whereupon teaching materials for development education are gathered.
JICA, too, has conducted efforts. For example, in response to the requests of local governments that promote regional internationalization and from schools themselves, "lectures on international cooperation," where JOCVs are sent to schools as teachers, are held along with essay contests and so on targeting nationwide junior and high school students. The "Practical Development Education Seminar" is also being implemented.
Notes:
(54) This was previous named the "Contest of Development Education / International Understanding" (changed in FY2009).