The Collaboration of Schools and Local Communities

Abstract

In Gojome primary school, the collaboration between school, family, and community has taken a great role in effective educational activities. This has been achieved by not only the collaboration of local firms and people but also by the enhancements of all educational levels from nurseries to junior-high schools. Also, we have introduced school assessment and disclosed school information for better management. Volunteers from local communities have been engaging in holistic activities such as teaching rice farming, reading picture books, supporting school lunches, and miscellaneous school maintenance. From the aspects of regional revitalizations, students have been participating in regional events like sannai-bangaku, local rituals; bon dance events; tanabata edourou festival; and setting up booths at morning markets. Children today are surrounded by video games and multimedia at home like the children in urban areas. We believe that it is a school responsibility to create opportunities to link them to the local communities. We expect that these opportunities will deepen children’s knowledge and understanding of their local society, hence, these activities would develop their local identity so that they can reminisce about their hometown after graduating from school and becoming adults.