Founded in 1888, Nara University of Education has built a reputation in Japan for training teachers who are committed to upholding its academic heritage and contributing to the improvement of the country’s education standards.
Throughout its 135-year history, the university has remained steadfast in pioneering its pedagogical methodologies. Recently, it opened enrollment to international students.
“The graduate school (master's program) is where people want to study Japanese culture or education. We also have students who want to know more about Nara and Japanese calligraphy. Right now, we have around 10 to 15 foreign students,” President Toshiya Miyashita told GMI POST.
“Nara University of Education not only sends teachers all over Nara, but also across the nation. We are also the first UNESCO-associated school in Japan and mainly focus on sustainability and the U.N. SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals),” he added.
According to Miyashita, all students at Nara University of Education will become teachers who, through ESD (Education for Sustainable Development), will nurture children who can create a sustainable society.
“We are very proud to have a student circle called the UNESCO Club, where about a 100 of a thousand students in our university voluntarily promote ESD. They join volunteer activities, like guiding tourists that come to Nara and talk about our cultural assets or talking to children from different schools,” he also said.
