(photo above – SIS Head Masago sensei and the rest of the KG team from my view)
I am on the shinkansen (bullet train) back to Osaka as I write this. The Kwansei Gakuin foundation called a press conference today in their Tokyo offices to promote the super global high school and super global university prizes. KG High School, SIS, and KG University were all recipients of government funding. MEXT, the Japanese education ministry is supporting schools looking to become more international and they designated schools as “Super Global”. The program aims to “foster global leaders who will play an active role in the world through education at high schools and other institutions that contributes to that mission. Students are equipped with an awareness and deep knowledge of social issues, communication and problem-solving skills, and other globally competitive skills.” (courtesy of Super Global High School).
(Magazine writers review the school information)
There were 19 different newspapers and magazines and we held two press conferences. It was my role to discuss the International Baccalaureate curriculum and our relationship with the Senri International School. At both press conferences, I was asked about where our students attend university. Everyone in the press corps received our SOIS brochure so I could show them the list of universities our students have matriculated. The head education writer for the national daily Yomiuri spoke English and we had a nice chat afterwards.
KG Tokyo’s office is literally above Tokyo Station in the center of Tokyo. It is located on the 10th floor of the Sapia Tower. It was a beautiful day so the head of SIS, Masago sensei and I, attended an education IT conference on the island of Daibo in the morning. The Tokyo Center is an architecturally stunning convention center on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay.
(An interesting art piece at the Tokyo Big Sight Convention Center)
Overall it was a pleasant day. I hope my efforts to promote the IB and our schools result in something good for our students.
TIS Director's Blog 