International Development of Computer Education

Toward the Creation of a Global Information Culture

Kyoto Computer Gakuin [KCG] was established in 1963 as the first private computer institute in Japan. At this time the curtain was raised on the computer, we foresaw great possibilities in the approaching information age, and believed that education of technicians in large numbers would build the foundation of the coming age. KCG was the first school in Japan to introduce education in Information Science. For the past years, KCG has been a leader in developing the culture of information science in Japan. In 1989, we began to transfer our pioneer spirit to countries in which computer education had not been made widely available. The program called International Development of Computer Education [IDCE] was born in the form of a donation of three thousand sets of KCG's used computers (two thousand sets of 8-bit, one thousand sets of 16 & 32-bit personal computers).

Before 1995, this program has been implemented for the countries of Thailand, Ghana, Poland, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Peru, and has accomplished successfuly. From 1995, we will start implementing the program for Malawi and China.

We found that it is a great pleasure to help other countries by the IDCE program with the role of a dispatcher of Japanese culture and a dispatcher of information culture. We also found and are hoping that this trend becomes a creation of global information culture.

Purpose

This program is designed for countries in which public access to computer technology is limited or non-existent. The goal of the program is to give the public, at large, access to simple computers, to teach them basic computer skills, and to promote more general computer education.

We believe that the spread of education in science and technology can be the key to a country's future economic independence and prosperity. Remembering KCG identity as a pioneer in developing education / information science in Japan, we wish to participate in the promotion of global computer education by passing on our own experience.

The program also aims to promote cultural exchange and friendship between Japan and participating countries, with computer education as a medium.

All the computers donated were those used in classes at KCG. As to other expenses, a large part of the funding has come from the Japan Exposition Commemoration Fund. Major Japan companies: UNISYS-Japan, TOSHIBA, NEC, HITACHI, and other independent organizations and individuals have also contributed to our project. Without such generous support, we would not have been able to realize this project.

Implementation of the Program

The fundamental program consists of the following five basic steps. (These may be modified, if necessary, to match the particular needs of the participating country.)

1. KCG donates some hundred sets of computers ["Donation"] to the government of the participating country ["Receiver"].

2. The Receiver is to be responsible for the maintenance and the distribution of Donation to schools throughout their country. (Some ten to twenty shall be placed at each selected school.)

3. KCG sends instructors to the partner country to offer an intensive course for selected teachers of the schools/institutions which will receive or have received Donation. KCG recruits and sends United States college students (mainly from Massachusetts Institute of Technology) as volunteer instructors along with KCG instructors. We try to include students whose home country is the same as that of the participating country in our group of instructors.

4. Participants learn how to operate Donation through various training programs offered by KCG. This technical training consists of a session in the partner country, followed by a session at KCG in Kyoto for selected trainees.

5. The Receiver conducts a computer education program in their selected schools for the general public.

After completion of the fundamental program, KCG and the Receiver are expected to try to continue to collaborate together, as much as possible, in order to promote the computer education of the Receiver's country. This collaboration may include continued exchanges of students and teachers, and/or more computer donations by KCG.

The program for China and Brunei are proceeding based on the special relationship between KCG and the universities.

Selected examples of actual development of IDCE are shown in the below.

Thailand
Cooperation initiated in 1989

To begin with the IDCE project, the following became a test case. In the Fall of 1989, two college students were invited to KCG, and were provided computer training workshop for two weeks. Through this experience we established a teaching skills for foreigners.

In June, 1990, three hundred fifty one sets of computers were donated to the Minister of Education. In July, the first on-site computer course was held at Bangkok. Some selected teachers in Thailand were invited to KCG and were provided the second computer course.

All the donated computers were utilized at twenty-two educational institute by the teachers who had workshop at KCG before. More than 3600 students a year were given education in information and computer science.

The Ministry of Education of Thailand expressed their appreciation saying "there has never been a program like IDCE", "IDCE program has created a computer railroad all over Thailand."

In February, 1992, the third international joint information science seminar was held for participants from Ghana, Poland and Thailand. The school received awards from the Thai Minister of Education for our contribution to the country. Computer education is now right on track with increasing budget of Thai government.

The highly successful result of our program prompted the Thai government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to form a cooperative arrangement for further development. A workshop in multimedia technology was held at KCG for the computer engineers from Thailand for six month in 1994. An instructor from KCG has been sent to a university in Thailand as an expert by JICA for directing education in multimedia technology in 1996.

"Computers on Wheels", a new program where the National Science Center for Education would carry donated computers in two trailers and visit schools throughout Thailand, was implemented in 1996. KCG donated additional thirty 32-bit portable computers and sent two instructors. The first workshop was held at one of the most poor area of the country. At the opening ceremony of the program, KCG received an award from the Princess.

Poland
Cooperation initiated in 1990.

Two hundred sets of computers were donated to the Ministry of National Education in June 1991. The first computer course was held at Warsaw. The second computer course was held at KCG in February 1992. The department head of Information Technology from the Ministry of National Education in Poland visited KCG with a group of Polish teacher-students. At this time, the Ministry of National Education and KCG signed a "Declaration of Intent," whose purpose is to promote information technology and cultural exchange through a lasting relationship between the Polish government and KCG.

Based on the result of the KCG/IDCE program, a computer college called, the Japan-Poland College of Information Technology was established in the Fall of 1994, in collaboration with the Polish government and the Japanese government. An instructor from KCG has been sent to Poland as a computer expert by JICA since 1994. In response to a request made by the Polish government, KCG was prepared to give equipment, as well as human support.

Ghana
Cooperation initiated in 1990

In 1991, two hundred fifteen sets of computers donated. In 1992, KCG invited teachers from Ghana to Japan for computer training. In January, 1993, a computer center named after the president of KCG, Yasuko Hasegawa, was opened in Ghana by the Ministries of Education and of Science and Technology. Yasuko Hasegawa, along with two other officials were invited, as the governmental guests to attend the opening ceremony and the celebration of the distribution of all the computers. At the ceremony, the Minister of Science and Technology announced that, (1) because of the success of the IDCE program, the ministry had decided to increase its budget for computer education in Ghana, and that (2) the program was now to become a joint project of the Ministries of Education and of Science & Technology, and that (3) KCG's work was a great achievement for the development of Ghana. This great achievement follows in the footsteps of Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, a famous Japanese bacteriologist who did much valuable research concerning syphilitic diseases in Ghana, including, most notably, the discovery of the yellow fever virus.

A special budget allotted by the government for computer education has been reported to have brought successful results. KCG officials have visited several high schools that had received KCG donation, and were deeply touched by the warm welcome extended to us by the group of motivated students at each school, who now had an opportunity to learn about computers.

Under a new scholarship, two high school students were selected by the Ministry of Ghana to be sent to KCG in the Fall of 1994.

In November, 1994, President Yasuko Hasegawa, along with two other officials, were awarded plaques of honor by the Ministry of Education and by the Ministry of Science and Technology for their work in initiating computer awareness in Ghanaian schools.

In March, 1996, the National Center for Youth Education was build in Ghana. By a request of Minister of Education in Ghana, one hundred and fifty sets of 16-bit and 32-bit computer were donated for high schools and the National Computer Center as a part of IDCE program.

Kenya
Cooperation initiated in 1991

In 1992, two hundred sets of computer were donated. In 1993, technical training courses were held in Nairobi and Kyoto. After the invited Kenyan students completed their program in Japan and returned home to Kenya, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Research, Technical Training and Technology in Kenya, Professor Karega Mutahi wrote KCG a letter saying, "This equipment has enabled us to take the first step towards the introduction of computer technology on a nationwide basis. ...It appears as if we have sparked off an upsurge of computer interests amongst most of our institutions. ...Such an approach would help us to avoid the long standing inequality that has existed between rural and urban institutions. As we pursue this goal we look forward to more support from friends like you and your school."

The second support program was organized with a partnership of the Ministry of Education in Kenya. Also, this project was set up as a joint program with Doshisha International High School in Kyoto, Japan involving a donation of two hundred "Windows" desktop computers and portable notebook computers. This project was implemented in 1998.

Zimbabwe
Cooperation initiated in 1992

Two hundred sets of computers have been donated to the Ministry of Higher Education, and were shipped to Zimbabwe in the summer of 1993. KCG has sent instructors in the summer of 1994 to offer a seminar at the National University of Science and Technology [NUST] in Bulawayo. Selected participants of the NUST seminar and additional high school teachers flew to Japan in November of 1994 to take advanced seminars at KCG. Professor P. M. Makhurane, vice-chancellor of NUST, also visited KCG. Professor Makhurane reported that the donated computers are now used at seventeen high schools and colleges throughout the country.

Peru
Cooperation initiated in 1993

In 1993, the Ministry of Presidency initiated KCG/IDCE program in Peru. Two hundred sets of computers were shipped to Peru in the Summer of 1994. The program was then passed to the Ministry of Education. KCG sent instructors to Peru in January, 1995. Ms. Iliana Fujimori, a niece of the President Fujimori, participated in the program as an instructor. After the initial seminar was held in Lima, fifteen Peruvian high school teachers were selected to go to KCG in Japan for further training. Mr. Pedro Fujimori, a brother of the president, reported that all the computers were now distributed to some ten high schools for computer education.

The second support program was implemented in November, 1999, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Japanese immigration movement to the country. Forty-three PC's running on the Japanese version of Windows were donated to the Association of Japanese Peruvians. They are to be installed in the Association's facility, and be made available to all Peruvian people, regardless of whether they are of Japanese ancestry or not. These computers have been helping promote the computerization of the country.

Sri Lanka
Cooperation initiated in 1995

The donation project was discussed between KCG and Arthur C Clarke Center for Modern Technology in Sri Lanka in 1995. The project was implemented starting in August in 1996 by inviting three teachers from the high school of the national colleges where computer education already started. One hundred computers were sent to Sri Lanka when the teachers finished their training program at KCG. In December 1996, the first training program was held in Colombo. The training was very successful and KCG received an honor from the Minister of Science and Technology at the opening ceremony.

The second program was organized as a joint venture between KCG and Doshisha International High School in Kyoto, Japan, leading to donation, in 1998, of 93 computers including Windows-type desktops and portable notebook computers.

Brunei
Cooperation initiated in 1996

With a help by JICA in October, 1996, a Cooperation Agreement was concluded between KCG and SEAMEO VOCTECH (South East Asian Ministers of Education Organization, Regional Center for Vocational and Technical Education). SEAMEO VOCTECH is an international organization which Ministry of Education of nine countries in South East Asia established in 1965 for the purpose of educating people in science and humanity fields. Japanese government has been supporting this organization for purchasing equipment and for providing training programs. KCG sent an instructor to conduct a lecture on network technology to SEAMEO in March of 1997. KCG also invited a SEAMEO VOCTECH officer for a computer training course.

China - Tianjin, Xi'an, Beijing
Cooperation initiated in 1996

Starting in June, 1996, series of Cooperation Agreement were concluded between KCG and Tianjin Foreign Studies University, Xi'an Foreign Language University, and Capital Normal University College of Foreign Languages. Computers with Japanese operating system and software equipped were donated to those schools for their students to study Japanese language. There is a strong demand that students want to learn Japanese and computer technology. Consequently, the following project was proposed: the project first establishes a computer center at Tianjin Foreign Studies University, for their students to learn both computer technology and the Japanese language. The students in this program have already been enrolled in and studying at KCG since 1998.

Malawi
Cooperation initiated in 1994

The support program for Malawi has been discussed since 1994, but it was November, 1998 that the project was actually implemented. The program was organized jointly by KCG and Doshisha International High School, involving 222 computers including Windows-type desktops and portable notebook computers.

Nigeria
Cooperation initiated in 1998

The support program was initiated with a donation of 40 notebook computers which were delivered to the country in August, 1999.

Mongolia
Cooperation initiated in 2002

The support program was initiated with a donation of 40 desktop computers and 5 printers, which were delivered to the country in December, 2002. The equipment is installed at a newly-created facility at the Mongol Business Institute, called the "Open Japan Center", and is now used to promote IT literacy for the public.

Summary

KCG identity as a pioneering institute of information and computer education led us to believe that it was our responsibility to share our experiences with the rest of the world. By this means, we prove ourselves to be a leading school which can contribute to Japan's standing in the world.

As described above, this project has been successful in many countries. The combination of a large donation of computers with a training course for local teachers has proven effective repeatedly. The real key to success, however, is a host government which understands the project's importance, and promotes it throughout the country.

The first step in planning a project is often to convince the host government of the necessity of teaching information technology as a kind of literacy. Many governments believe that knowledge of information technology is only useful to business specialists and scientists. Once we succeed in changing their image of information education, it becomes easier for us to promote the project. By initiating a new paradigm for information education, the KCG/IDCE project can take on historical significance in the educational administration of a country.

A quite different kind of success has developed from the international relationships and friendships fostered by the KCG/IDCE project. In their visits to other countries, our staff have found themselves acting as ambassadors, carrying Japanese information culture from their home in Kyoto to the four corners of the World.

In 1995, because of the success of KCG/IDCE program, KCG has been appointed by Japan International Cooperation Agency [JICA] for a newly started computer technology program for African countries as an institution qualified for training programs. Since then, it has become a continuous program, and this year, KCG has been still keeping enforce this program eagerly.

The goal of the KCG/IDCE project is to make education in science and technology available to ordinary people. We believe that promotion and popularization of science and technology is the key to prosperity of a country as an independent nation. We ask other countries to understand the truth of KCG vision.