| My Vision for Lifelong Integrated Education |
| I have long promoted the movement for lifelong integrated education erected on the principles of global educational reform. With the following four main points and three principles for learning its ideas and implementing its principles, I try to transform the conventional system of education. |
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| Four main points: |
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From knowledge-based to wisdom-based education |
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From knowledge-centered to holistic education |
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From teaching traditional culture to creating
a new culture |
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From time-limited education to lifelong integrated
education |
| Three principles: |
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Education of the child should always be accompanied
by the self-education of the parent. |
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Education of the pupil should always be accompanied
by the self-education of the teacher. |
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Everything in life is material for self-education. |
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Politics, the economy and education in our society do not function by themselves but require humans to make them function. Therefore, human education must be given the first priority.
At no other time in human history have we been given a greater opportunity for change.
Human renaissance, building peace and creating a new civilization on a
global level must be the major propositions we are to achieve in order
to prevent us from annihilating whole eco-system and to pave the way for
co-existence. In such a time like ours I believe we should place human
education at the top of the list of priorities before political, economic
and social considerations. And there is no other ways to meet the demands
of our time than we change our contemporary education drastically.
We cannot but agree that the failure of existing education is reflected in the youth without any hope or meaning of life plagued by delinquency, violence and even suicide.
When a human being is reduced to some tools for any other purposes against
the original objective of education that makes humans more humane, I believe
we must go back to the origin of education. That is to ask essential questions
"What is it to be a human being?" and "What is it to live?"
Without going back to the origin of a human being and human essence, our
efforts for educational reform remain just makeshifts and methodological
changes.
Education is not necessarily confined to specialists. Rather, the first teacher in and throughout our life is the parent, especially a mother who gives us life, nurtures and protects us as we grow.
Since character building and self-realization that is to continue throughout
one's lifetime should be the task for each individual, authentic human
education is the primary challenge for lifelong integrated education. This
is what is needed the most in our global society I believe.
To answer this demand of our contemporary society, I constructed the basic
philosophical principles of lifelong integrated education based on the
oriental view of nature and that of the human being, since I believe that
the essential task of education is the restoration of humanity.
In the Principles of Nomura Lifelong Integrated Education, any individual
can achieve character building in the organic coordination of family, school
and society and by promoting mutual education based on the principle of
self-education.
By doing so when each individual tries to expand this circle of solidarity
to the extent of the global level, we can say that education for human
restoration can truly be achieved. In this context I believe we can create
a new civilization for co-existence that our times demand.
This is all what I have long advocated and continue on promoting learning and implementing.
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Yoshiko Nomura
Founding Director General |
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Nomura Center for Lifelong Integrated Education
