Japan Foundation Asia Centre promotes Japanese language for school teachers

Secondary level Japanese language teachers from four target schools completed an intensive training course at the Laos-Japan Human Resource Development Institute (LJI) in Vientiane during August 15-25.
The course was jointly organised by the Research Institute for Educational Sciences (RIES) under the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Japan Foundation (JF). Completion certificates were presented to the participants.
Sixteen teachers from Vientiane Secondary School, Nongbone Secondary School, Phiawat Secondary School and Phonethanh Secondary School and officers from RIES participated in the training. Two Japanese specialists from the Japan Foundation and lecturers from the National University of Laos and LJI provided strong support as course instructors.
The course was aimed at helping schoolteachers develop skills that will enable them to teach Japanese effectively and engagingly at the four pilot schools. The training focused on exercises that could be used in the teachers’ own classes, which are due to begin in the new school term from September, and the course encouraged self-directed learning and development.
RIES and JF are implementing a number of programmes to introduce Japanese language education at the secondary level. JF has sent Japanese language specialists to develop Japanese language textbooks and teaching guides and also organised comprehensive teacher training to brush up Japanese language proficiency and teaching skills.
The textbook “Nihongo 5” (“Japanese 5”), which will be introduced starting with the pilot schools during the new school year, was used in the training.
“Nihongo 5” aims to make learning Japanese fun while enjoying many activities in Japanese and improving communication skills.
After taking the course, Mr Bounpaeng Houngsaengkeo from Phiawat Secondary School said, “I will support my students with confidence thanks to this intensive training. I understand how to teach Japanese through Nihongo 5, and could improve my Japanese teaching skills. I cannot wait for the new school year.”
Ms Chaleunsak Khansakpasit, from the Foreign Languages Resource Centre at RIES, said, “RIES would like to expand Japanese language classes using the Nihongo series as much as possible, in cooperation with JF, and we hope to further increase the interest of Lao students in Japan.”
From the new school year, “Nihongo partners” from JF to the four pilot schools will help Lao Japanese teachers as teaching assistants and introduce Japanese culture to Lao students.
This has created high expectations for the Japanese language classes at the secondary school level.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update August 29, 2022)