Addressing the educational reforms required in times of change

The history of Seikei Gakuen dates back to 1912, when its founder, Haruji Nakamura, with the cooperation of his close friends from junior high school, Mr. Koyata Iwasaki and Mr. Shigezo Imamura, opened the predecessor of Seikei Gakuen, “Seikei Jitsumu-Gakko” in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Since then, the school has developed as a comprehensive school with an elementary, junior high, high school, university, and graduate school, sending out many talented people who are active both in Japan and abroad, while inheriting the educational philosophy of “respect for the individual,” “cultivation of character,” and “fulfillment of labor,” based on the ideal of “A peach tree says nothing, yet people naturally create a path to it,” which has been the foundation of the school since its founding.

Now, amidst the drastic changes in society, the world is being forced to undergo severe challenges, and the field of school education is being placed in a difficult situation where conventional wisdom is no longer applicable. However, it is precisely in times such as these that private schools must practice distinctive education that is in tune with the times and earn a high reputation and trust from society.

Seikei Gakuen celebrated its 110th anniversary in 2022, but we are not content to rest on our laurels and we continue to strive for more. Since FY 2013, we have formulated medium-term plans, and have been implementing reforms over the 10 years of the first medium-term plan (fiscal 2013 to fiscal 2018) and the second medium-term plan (fiscal 2019 to fiscal 2022). Based on the past achievements and challenges, the school established a new third medium-term plan with a six-year achievement period from FY 2023 until FY2028, with the goal of cultivating ‘virtuous people’ who contribute to the development of global society with a solid liberal arts education and rich sense of humanity. Currently, in order to achieve these school goals, each school and incorporated educational organization have set their own goals and are working together to achieve them.

In order to nurture human resources who combine a solid liberal arts education with a rich sense of humanity and who are capable of making a dedicated contribution to the development of society is the founding principle of Seikei Gakuen, and it is a mission that will be called for even more strongly in the coming age. It is precisely at this difficult time, when the world is changing at a remarkable pace, that we will continue our efforts to swiftly implement educational reforms that meet the needs of the times and send out the human resources that are required by society.
We sincerely appreciate your continued understanding and support.

Nurturing young people to take on global challenges

Since assuming the position of school Chancellor last April, I have held numerous discussions with people inside and outside the school and conducted surveys, and based on the results, we have developed the third medium-term plan that we will work on over the next six years. Based on the school’s goal to “nurture ‘people of virtue’ who contribute to the development of global society with a solid liberal arts background and rich humanity,” the university, junior and senior high school, and elementary school each set their own goals and have formulated key policies and action plans to achieve them.

One of the areas we are particularly interested in focusing on in our medium-term plan is the internationalization of education and the development of global human resources. The university will enhance a variety of study abroad programs to provide many students with overseas experience, and at the same time, promote efforts to increase the number of international students to realize a learning environment rich in diversity. We are also expanding opportunities for study abroad and overseas experience in junior and senior high schools as well as elementary school.

When I was in high school, I read Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring”. The book points out the impact of pesticides and other chemicals on the ecosystem and raises environmental issues. Learning that humans have destroyed the ecosystem and that nature is striking back at us, I was shocked. In recent years, global warming, ocean pollution, deforestation, and biodiversity loss have become increasingly severe, and environmental sustainability has become a pressing issue for all humankind.

Since its foundation, Seikei Gakuen has practiced education connected to the principles of ESD (Education for Sustainable Development), and established the Seikei Education and Research Center for Sustainable Development in 2018. ESD involves sharing the values of sustainable development, and through this, developing systematic thinking, critical thinking, information analysis, communication, and leadership skills. Seikei Gakuen is certified as a UNESCO school and has become a base for promoting ESD. ESD is incorporated not only into the educational curriculum but also into extracurricular activities. For example, students from elementary school to university work all together every year on the “Keyaki Circulation Project,” in which they collect fallen leaves from zelkova on campus, make compost, and use it to grow plants.

Graduates of Seikei Gakuen, which has been focusing on education for international understanding for more than 100 years, are working to solve various problems around the world. We will continue to make full use of the tradition of liberal arts education of the old high school system, and will do our utmost in cooperation with alumni and parents to nurture young people who will take on the challenges of global issues and lead the 21st century. We appreciate your continued understanding and support.