Improving the quality of education: enhancing teachers' quality

The importance of achieving universal access to basic education in developing countries is widely recognized in the international community. Not only developing countries but also developed countries and international organizations are making efforts to make "Education for All (EFA)" a reality. Japan has also been actively extending international cooperation in the area of basic education as one of the priority areas of its ODA, recognizing that education is a cornerstone of human security, nation-building and human resources development. The Japan Education Forum (JEF) is an annual forum established in March 2004 by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) as a part of Japan's international cooperation in education for developing countries. With the underlying theme of " Collaboration toward Greater Autonomy in Educational Development," JEF is jointly organized by MEXT, MOFA, Hiroshima University and the University of Tsukuba and supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). Based on the on-going discussions on international educational cooperation at EFA meetings and other forums, "Improving the Quality of Education: Enhancing Teachers Quality" was focused on as the theme of this year's forum. JEF III was held in Tokyo on February 9, 2006, and about 250 people (including about 50 foreigners) participated from various organizations, including universities, aid agencies, NGOs, ministries, foreign embassies in Tokyo and students (foreign students as well). The forum started with the addresses of Mr. Hiroshi Hase, Senior Vice-Minister of MEXT, and Mr. Katsutoshi Kaneda, Senior Vice-Minister of MOFA on behalf of the organizers. In the morning, keynote speeches were made by Dr. Toshio Watanabe, President of Takushoku University, from the Japanese side, and Mr. Ato Essuman, Chief Director of the Ministry of Education and Sports of the Republic of Ghana, from the side of developing countries. In the afternoon, a panel session was held with the participation of experts from Japan and abroad under the theme of "Improving the Quality of Education: Enhancing Teachers' Quality."