OECD-Tohoku School

The devastating March 2011 Tsunami and Great East Japan earthquake led to a massive loss of lives, destroying many homes, schools and livelihoods in the Tohoku region of Japan. OECD Secretary General, Angel Gurria, visited Japan shortly after the disaster to express the OECD’s commitment to supporting Japan’s recovery and reconstruction efforts.

The OECD Tohoku School was created in 2012 out of joint efforts by the Japanese Ministry for Education, Fukushima University and other local stakeholders, supported by the OECD.

The aim of the project was to help junior and high school students in the Tohoku area to overcome their losses through projects that both supported the region’s recovery and helped them to develop valuable competencies and skills, as well as resilience for the future.

Tohoku School Cherry Tree Planting Ceremony - 2 September 2014

OECD Château La Muette Gardens

See the photos from the event on Flickr

Speech by Rina Matsumoto
Student Sakura team leader from Fukushima

Opening remarks by Angel Gurria
Secretary-General of the OECD

Blog: Sowing the seeds of education reform

Tohoku’s students invite the whole world to celebrate

“Tohoku - Wa, la renaissance”

on 30-31 August 2014 at the Champ-de-Mars in Paris

See the photos from the event on Flickr

TUNE INTO THE LIVE WEBCAST OF THE OPENING CEREMONY

with Japanese popular singer Miwa performing the theme song of the Tohoku school

Saturday, August 30, 2014 10:55 CET

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At the Champs de Mars, 100 Japanese students who were victims of the tsunami will share the outcomes of the locally-developed projects that they designed in co-operation with their teachers, schools, industries and communities of their regions. The students wish to communicate a message to the world, i.e. they are learning to stand on their own feet, not asking the world to pity them. Thus, the students took initiatives to engage themselves in fund-raising to cover the costs of the exhibition of their projects, travel costs, etc.

The exhibitions include personal stories of 100 students, revived Tohoku culture (e.g. Tohoku Deer Dance) performed by students, dominos representing the tsunami, balloons showing the height of the tsunami, etc.

An official ceremony will take place at the OECD Headquarters on September 2, when the OECD Secretary General and Mr. Kazuo Kodama, the permanent ambassador of Japan to the OECD, will plant a cherry tree to commemorate the event.

Links

The OECD-Tohoku School Project: Moving forward together
Interview with Kohei Oyama and Yoko Tsurimaki, students of the OECD-Tohoku School Project - 23 May 2014

During a break from the OECD Forum, two students (11th grade and 12th grade) from the OECD-Tohoku School Project shared their learning experiences with Cassandra Davis and Meredith Lunsford of educationtoday.

The OECD-Tohoku School Address

Remarks by Angel Gurría, OECD Secretary-General, Iwaki City, 7 April 2014

Brochure - OECD Tohoku School 2012 March 2014 August - Overcoming the Earthquake Disaster, Toward Creation of New Education (Education Recovery Project commissioned by MEXT)

Video messages from the launch of the
OECD-Tohoku School on 26 March 2012

		Mr. Motohide Yoshikawa, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative, Permanent Delegation of Japan to the OECD
		Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary General, OECD
		Dr. Barbara Ischinger, former Director for Education and Skills, OECD
		Mr. Christian Masset, Ambassador of France to Japan
		Japanese students from the Japanese School in Paris, France
		A snapshot of the activities of the First Workshop of the OECD Tohoku School (in Japanese) Footnote: Edited by Mr Taisei Nagi and filmed by Mr Yamada (TV-man Union)

Press

OECD launches creative education project to help revitalise Japan's Tohoku region

26/03/2012 - The OECD has launched an initiative with the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Fukushima University and local schools for students in the Tohoku region to create and organise an event that will showcase the country’s recovery from the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake

Launch event: Intensive Workshop #1, 26-30 March 2012, Iwaki, Japan