Japanese Teachers Arrive to Learn from PNG Classrooms

Japanese Delegation Explores PNG Education and Development/Photo supplied

Ten educators from Japan have completed a week-long study tour of Papua New Guinea, visiting schools, teacher colleges, and development sites in a program aimed at fostering mutual learning between the two countries.

The delegation, in the country from 25 July to 1 August under the JICA Teacher Overseas Training Program, travelled across Port Moresby and its outskirts to observe how PNG's education system operates in both urban and rural settings.
Their journey took them to the Department of Education and Bomana Teachers College, where they engaged in policy-level discussions. But the heart of the visit was at Sogeri Primary School, where they watched a mathematics lesson delivered by JICA volunteer Junta Kanamoto and later took part in origami and cat's cradle sessions with excited students.

At Sogeri National High School of Excellence, the Japanese visitors met with Japanese language students, a program supported by former volunteer Mr. Sasase. The students eagerly asked questions about Japanese culture and shared stories of their own lives, creating a warm and memorable exchange.
To round out their understanding of PNG, the group visited the Joyce Bay Sewage Treatment Plant, Baruni Landfill, the Port Moresby Fish Market, and the National Museum and Art Gallery. These visits gave them a grounded sense of the country's development challenges and cultural richness.
The delegation also sat down with local teachers for a workshop-style discussion, introducing Tokkatsu—a Japanese educational approach that encourages students to take initiative in school activities. The exchange sparked new ideas on both sides about how to better engage students.
JICA PNG Senior Representative Takeshi Nakamura said the program continues to deliver dividends long after the visitors return home. "This is not a one-way street. PNG has much to teach us about community and resilience, and our teachers go back to Japan with new perspectives. That is the true meaning of partnership," he said.
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