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Day 2 of G7 Education Ministers’ Meeting in Toyama and Kanazawa②　Two afternoon sessions and welcome dinner hosted by the local organizer

文部科学省

On Day 2, the ministers meeting started in the afternoon.

Theme 1: The role of schools in the society after the COVID-19 pandemic

Minister Nagaoka who chaired the session, made a presentation on the effects of the pandemic on Japanese schools and the current outstanding issues.
Next, open discussions were held among Canada, France, US, UK, Germany, Italy, the EU, UNESCO, and OECD on the role and meaning of schools reaffirmed through the pandemic, restoring opportunities that were lost for children due to restrictions on school educational activities, and developing ICT environments. Through their presentations, the Heads of Delegations (HODs) shared information on the case studies and outstanding issues.

The Rt Hon Gillian KEEGAN, Secretary of State for Education, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Ms. Tina NAMIESNIOWSKI, Senior Associate Deputy Minister, Employment and Social Development, Government of Canada
H.E. Prof. Giuseppe VALDITARA, Minister of Education and Merit of the Italian Republic
H.E. Ms. Christine STREICHERT-CLIVOT, Minister of Education and Culture of Saarland, 1st Vice President of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany
The Honorable Wayne EWASCO, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning, Government of Manitoba, Canada
Ms. Maureen MCLAUGHLIN, Senior Advisor to the Secretary and Director of International Affairs, Department of Education of the United States of America

The HODs confirmed the issues jointly shared by all countries and reaffirmed the need to develop ICT environments, promote education that merges real and digital formats, and agreed that G7 members must collaborate not just to return education to pre-pandemic times, but work towards evolving a new type of learning that can overcome pandemic times.

Theme 2: Education that unlocks the potential of all children

Minister Nagaoka made a presentation on the digital transformation of education to increase well-being through the integral enhancement of individual learning and collective learning, and the issues faced by schools in teaching and managing such educational programs.

All countries face the same issue of a shortage of teachers. The HODs exchanged heated lively discussions throughout the session.

Near the end of the discussions, H.E. Ms. Bettina STARK-WATZINGER, Germany’s Minister of Education and Research arrived. A photo session was held with the 12 HODs in all smiles.

Final leg of the tour- welcome dinner hosted by the local organizer

The HODs were escorted into the hall by a group of local ballerinas.

The young dancers performed two dance programs choreographed in Japanese and western themes.

After a speech by NITTA Hachiro, the Governor of Toyama Prefecture, the HODs gathered around the three sake barrels for a ceremony to break them open.

Minister Nagaoka proposed a toast.

The dinner session participated by many local residents was an extravagant event with everyone relishing in the prefecture’s local dishes.

Click here for the third-day report on the delegates’ move from Toyama to Kanazawa and the proceedings of the Education Minsters’ Meeting