Background and the challenges we strive to overcome

The KyoKan support network is a non-profit organization that supports educational stakeholders, mainly parents/caregivers, teachers, students, and other school community members. The word KYOKAN means empathy or sympathy in Japanese. It is also a short form or prefix of the words kyouiku kankeisha, which stands for education-related persons or stakeholders of education including teachers, parents, caregivers, students, etc. We operate mainly in Japan and in sub-Saharan Africa countries.  We will begin by discussing our activities in Japan, followed by our programs in Africa, outlining only the background and key challenges we aim to address in both regions

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Part A.   About our activities in Japan

In Japan, the main goal of the Kyokan Support Network is to support both Japanese and foreign children and adults in developing communicative English and Japanese language skills. This initiative aims to contribute to Japan’s local and global engagement by fostering international business and academic partnerships, breaking language barriers, expands career opportunities and strengthening social ties—particularly between Japanese and foreign residents in rural areas. To fully understand the significance of our initiatives in Japan, it is important to first provide insight into the background and key challenges to overcome in Japan.

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1. Context and challenges in Japan

With a rapidly aging and declining population, Japan must engage with the rest of the world in the twenty-first century, utilizing English for global collaboration opportunities. Rural areas in Japan, have been encouraged to welcome foreign workers to address labor shortages and revitalize local economies. However, this influx has highlighted several challenges in fostering social ties and effective communication between foreigners and Japanese residents, particularly in rural areas. Many foreigners have little or no Japanese language skills. For many foreign residents, acquiring Japanese language skills remains a significant challenge due to factors such as:

• The difficulty of the Japanese Language Structure and nuances,

• Lack of exposure to practical Japanese conversations with native speakers,

• And a few Japanese people switch to English when they see a foreigner to be polite or to practice their own English, making it harder for foreigners to practice Japanese. 

 

Building basic Japanese proficiency is essential not only for accessing employment and achieving social integration or building stronger relationships with Japanese colleagues and community members, but also for everyday communication such as shopping, understanding important instructions, and following lectures or school communication for both students and parents. It reduces dependence on translators and increases personal confidence and autonomy. Furthermore, understanding the Japanese language is key to appreciating Japanese culture and society, including its rich traditions, customs, values, and etiquette.
 

On the other hand, as Japan continues to engage globally, developing communicative or practical English skills has become increasingly relevant. English is often the bridge language in international business and academia, which may enable Japanese individuals to collaborate with foreign counterparts and expand career opportunities by forming partnerships in business, research, science, and technology beyond national borders. However, despite ongoing efforts to improve English education in Japan, the level of practical English skills remains low compared to other developed Asian countries. Several factors contribute to this, including the following:

1. Many Japanese individuals fear that speaking English may threaten their national identity or the Japanese language and culture. 

2. Some individuals believe that English is unnecessary, viewing languages such as Chinese, Korean, and Portuguese as more practical for Japan’s economic and social interactions.

3. English education in most schools in Japan has traditionally emphasized on grammar and exam preparation, with limited focus on the speaking and listening skills necessary for real-life communication. As a result, many teachers were themselves taught using this method, and are not familiar with other teaching approaches.

4. Although Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) have the potential to promote communication-based teaching, most of them have been given only a limited role in the classroom. However, even if they were assigned a greater role, the impact might still be limited, because many ALTs are not fully qualified as English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers.

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2. Our Aims and Objectives in Japan

Aligning with the vision of recent Japanese educational reforms—shifting towards practical English communication skills—the KyoKan Support Network adopts both long-and short-term goals, along with measurable objectives, to help achieve its vision

a.    Our Long-term goal
 

• To contribute to Japan’s local and global engagement by fostering a society in which mainly Japanese individuals confidently communicate in English, enhancing international business and academic partnerships, boosting tourism, and creating more career opportunities.

• To foster a society where foreign residents are integrated into Japanese society through a deeper understanding of the Japanese language, culture, and social systems, thereby strengthening social ties between Japanese and foreign residents, especially in rural areas

• To contribute to boost agricultural productivity by encouraging young people (both Japanese and foreign residents in rural areas) to consider farming as a career for economic growth
   

b.    Our Long-term objectives

 

• To organize and participate in sports and socio-cultural exchange activities aimed at promoting diversity and strengthening social ties that anchor communities and contribute to sustainable community development.

• To interact and provide communicative English language and other social skills for the physically disabled, orphanage and elderly people. 

• To provide start up English language classes for kids of between 4 and 6 in public kindergarten in Mie ken, through our English language programs called Eigo Steps.

• With regards to our agricultural goals, the Kyokan Support strive to create attractive farming system with increased human resources, extension services with the appropriate education to enhance productivity and ensuring sustainable agricultural practices.

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c.    Our short-term goal
 

Our short-term goal is to become Japan's leading platform empowering lifelong communicative English and Japanese skills for all individuals aged 5 and above.

 
d.    Our short-term objectives 
 

Our objective is to establish Japanese and English Language Input Platforms for continuous English and Japanese language practice. These interactive language practice programs provide increased exposure to the target language, improve listening and speaking, support social cohesion, and create better career opportunities. The curriculum and lessons are designed to support beginner-level Japanese language learners, as well as beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels of English, covering English for elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as general, technical, and business English. Please refer to the " Our Work" or "Events" columns for details about the s language input program, including the specific objectives.

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Part B.   About our activities in Sub- Saharan Africa

 

In Africa, the main goal of the Kyokan Support is to enhance conducive learning environment for quality education for sustainable development, crucial for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To fully understand the significance of our initiatives in Africa—and before presenting our key objectives to achieve our goals—it is important to first provide insight into the background and key challenges we strive to address in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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1. Background and challenges in sub- Saharan Africa

In Sub-Saharan Africa, significant progress has been made in expanding access to education, with increased primary and secondary school enrollment rates and efforts to improve literacy and gender parity. However, despite these advancements, the education system in most countries (such as Guinea, Mali, and Sierra Leone) still faces major challenges in delivering quality education to all students due to factors including, but not limited to, the following:

1. The lack of active involvement of community organizations, individuals and families in their children’s learning programs and school management. 

2. The lack of confidence and low self-esteem among school community members (teachers, parents and community individuals and organizations) in their ability to drive positive changes within their local schools without government support.

3. Parents lack of knowledge and skills needed to raise children and assist them with homework and other school-related activities.

4. School teachers lack the necessary knowledge and skills to teach effectively, collaborate with families, and build partnerships with local community businesses and organizations —key elements for successful school programs. Those factors contribute to the persistent challenges in teaching and learning across the region.
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2. Our goals for Africa

In support of recent educational reforms in Africa, the Kyokan Support aim to enhance a conducive learning environment for quality education for sustainable development, crucial for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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3. Our key objectives for Africa

 

• To draw on the Japanese experience in school-community collaboration, with a focus on the successful practices of the School Support Regional Headquarters (SSRH) — an organ that coordinates close partnerships between schools, families, and communities in Japan.

• To adopt models from Link Community Development, an international organization working in Africa (mainly Ethiopia, Uganda, Malawi, and Rwanda), to foster collaborative school improvement planning and capacity-building initiatives to encourage greater community involvement in schools

• To establish partnerships with, educational institutions, community-based organizations (CBOs), and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) such as MIEF, JANIC and JICA in Japan to facilitate knowledge exchange, research collaborations, capacity-building initiatives, and access to resources, networks, and expertise.

• To implement effective communication channels such as newsletters, TV and radio programs, and social media platforms to keep school community members (including parents, teachers, the elderly, youth, and other individuals) informed about school programs and encourage feedback.

• To coordinate a volunteer network to support school-related activities both inside and outside the classroom. Volunteers may assist with tutoring, assignments, and classroom management, while also supporting events such as open houses and after-school programs to strengthen school-community ties.

• To conduct monitoring, evaluation, and research in collaboration with support networks to assess the impact of activities, refine strategies, and enhance educational outcomes and community engagement.