After earthquake & tsunami in Japan,Richter lessons in schools

Such informative discussions and talks on Japan are done throughout the year at this all-girls school that introduced a project called Japan Study Project in July 2010. The project was introduced for the class VI students and the first country that the school has selected for the project is Japan. The school plans to stick to one country for five years so that the students get a comprehensive knowledge about the country,covering different aspects each year.

What made the school authorities select Japan for its project is the similarities between Japan and India. During the first year,the students got to learn about the culture of the country,which includes topics like origami,basic language,art,festivals and rituals.

The project is supported by Ramchandra Pratishthan and New English School Pune Associates (NESPA). “We were also guided by Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth,Ranade Institute and Japanese Language Teacher’s Association of Pune,” said Tilottama Reddy,principal of the school.

In the second year,the students will learn about the geography of Japan. The second year will be followed by the study of education in Japan and a comparative study of primary and secondary education in Japan and India.

The educational programme has instantly become a hit among students,who don’t miss out on any of these classes. “I love conversing with my friends in regional Japanese languages like Chiragana and Katakan,” said Prachiti Chitale,one of the students. “We were shown a Japanese film called Sonari No Totoro. During our annual function,we presented a Japanese dance wearing the traditional a kimono,” said Anuja Brahme,another student.

As part of the project,the school will conduct a workshop on Ikebana and origami from April 13 to 29.