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Report
No.240505 |
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- Topics - |
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Farming, a Primary School Subject in a Structural Reform Special Zone Kitakata city of Fukushima prefecture erects 'agriculture' as a subject of teaching at primary schools, beginning in the year 2007. The government, on November 16, gave approval to a plan submitted by the city for a Special Zone for Structural Reform. While experiencing transplanting of rice seedlings from nursery beds to paddy fields and harvesting of grown paddy are widely introduced in schools all over, the making of agriculture a subject of teaching is the first ever attempt in the country. According to the plan, three primary schools will change some of the general learning hours for third to six graders to 'agriculture' hours, and pupil will be taught how to grow vegetables etc. actually on the fields. The city contemplates giving it more than one hour a week. Pupil will be engaged in planting, weeding, water giving and harvesting etc. on fields which the schools will rent from farms, and farmers themselves will come and teach as volunteers. The city's education committee wishes that a number of other schools follow suit. Evaluation will be depicted in how a pupil has engaged rather than expressed in point scores. The subject will teach that agriculture is the main industry of Kitakata while sensitizing kids to value of life, motivating them to have interest in symbiosis with nature and in 'foods.' The idea of making agriculture a subject of school learning came from city mayor, Mr. Hideo Shirai, who worked for MAFF in his younger days. Perceiving the educational effect agriculture has, he translated the idea into a concrete plan. He says "Education of today is skewed towards memorizing of knowledge. More important, perhaps, is to learn by acting on the spot. Agriculture is an industry that produces new value based on energy of the Sun. It also provides a place to learn to revere life and mind of thanks to foods. Thanks to an approval having been given to our plan for special zone, we can expose school children to the challenge and joy of giving care to crops all throughout a year." |
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