Report on the Youth Study Tour in India for the World Terakoya Movement
MASUDA Mitsutoshi, youth member of Meguro UNESCO Association
wenty young men from all over Japan made a study tour of India for two weeks from March 26 to April 8 under the Japanese Funds-in-Trust for the promotion of International Co-operation and Mutual Understanding. Meguro UNESCO Association recommended that I became one of the tour members.
Our first destination was a rural area in Karnataka state called Gokak. The National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan undertakes a community development project under the World Terakoya Movement there. We visited the Terakoya Community Learning Centers (CLCs) in the villages. They provide literacy education and vocational training. They are also used by adult groups for various ‘life improvement’ meetings. They were superior in comparison with other buildings in the neighborhood and clean, giving the impression that they were used carefully. The children's smiles were beautiful, which contrasted with the serious expressions of the adult faces. In another village, we attended a Terakoya CLC opening ceremony and felt that the villagers were looking forward to studying there. We also visited public schools and a college in Gokak.
In the latter half of the tour, we visited five world heritage sites ? the Church of Bom Jesus in Goa, Humayun's Tomb and Qutb Minar in Delhi, the Taj Mahal and the fort in Agra ? to bring us in touch with Indian history and culture. These sites are monuments to people's intelligence and skill! We had an opportunity to visit the Confederation of UNESCO Clubs and Associations of India in order to learn about UNESCO activities in India. We also had a chance to see a wealthy private school and to compare it with Terakoya CLCs and public schools.
The visit deepened my understanding about the education, the condition of the support to Terakoya CLCs, and the history and culture of India. I would like to keep in touch with the other participants and make the most of this experience in our future UNESCO activities.
I would like to thank you all, members of Meguro UNESCO Association, for giving me the opportunity to participate in this study tour
