On Thursday, October 9th, Professor Munakata Masaru of the Department of Faculty of Collaborative Regional Development Faculty Department of Regional Development, taught a class on "Public Administration" to second-year students of Fukushima Prefectural Fukushima High School, in collaboration with the high school and university.
This high school-university collaboration came about after two high school students, who were conducting research into "sovereign education using student council elections," consulted Professor Munakata, who serves as a "sovereign education advisor" and is an expert with specialized knowledge and experience in citizen education. The students visited our university as part of a study trip and deepened their learning with about 20 university students.
In the first half of the class, high school students introduced the nature and food culture of Fukushima Prefecture and the themes of their current inquiry-based learning. Professor Munakata was then interviewed about ways to connect student council elections to opportunities for citizen education. Professor Munakata carefully responded, "I believe that using real-life examples is an effective way to influence citizen education. One way to do this would be to seek cooperation from the government in student council elections and create opportunities for students to feel closer to the elections, such as by using election items like ballot boxes."
In the second half of the event, high school students who will soon be granted the right to vote and university students who currently have the right to vote exchanged honest opinions. The high school students raised questions about the current issues surrounding student council elections, and the university students responded by sharing their experiences of student council elections and the conditions at polling stations they have actually visited. The flexible opinions unique to the younger generation led to a lively discussion.
A student from Fukushima High School reflected, "I've had opportunities to talk about citizen education with my teachers, but this was my first time debating with university students, so it was a refreshing experience. The voices of people who have the right to vote were very real, and I hope to use this in my future learning." He also commented, "Even something as simple as the student council election made me realize the cultural gap between regions. I'm grateful for this valuable opportunity."
Kuma Yoshinori, a fourth-year student in the same department (Kurume Shinai High School), said, "It gave me an opportunity to reminisce about my own high school days, and I thought the idea of linking citizen education with student council elections was very interesting. I'm always learning more about elections, but this was the first time I've had a discussion with people younger than me, and it was a great stimulus for me."
Faculty of Collaborative Regional Development will continue to provide opportunities for learning in collaboration with outside institutions and practical learning.
[Department of Regional Development]
