The three-month CA6 program has come to an end, and I feel very honored to have been part of it. This experience not only deepened my professional knowledge but also allowed me to meet outstanding peers from around the world. My gains have far exceeded my expectations
During classroom learning, my understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) changed completely. Before, these topics felt distant and broad to me. However, through the teachers’ systematic explanations and in-depth discussions with classmates, I realized they are closely connected to everyone’s life. Taking immigration as an example, under the trend of globalization, more and more people are choosing to live and work outside their birthplace. This made me think about rural-urban migration within China—how to provide fair and quality education for the children of families moving from towns to cities is a concrete and urgent SDGs-related issue. Connecting theory with reality like this greatly inspired me.
Beyond classroom learning, the well-arranged field visits allowed me to observe Japan’s education system from multiple perspectives. We visited a public high school, attended classes with local students, and exchanged views on high school education in different countries. We also visited Tsukuba International School, located in the forest, which offers an IB curriculum with mostly international teachers. We were even fortunate to visit the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Before the visit, I thought I would only listen to staff presentations, but instead we completed group tasks and a set of PISA test questions within a short time. I would like to thank Hamada sensei, Hirai sensei, Shimizu sensei, Umetsu sensei, Furuta sensei, and others for contacting and arranging visits to various schools and institutions for us.
The program schedule was well-balanced. Besides the study visits, we also visited JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), botanical gardens, and participated in cultural exchange concerts. These experiences broadened my horizons and helped me better understand the diversity of the world through cross-cultural interaction.
I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Fujii sensei and my tutor, Huang san. Since my major is early childhood education, and unfortunately there was no kindergarten visit in the regular CA6 schedule, Professor Fujii helped arrange and took me and Huang san to visit Japanese kindergartens and daycare centers. I also want to thank all the classmates I studied with over the past three months—I learned a lot from them during every group discussion. Also, thank you to CA6 coordinators Yumi sensei and Keiko sensei for accompanying and supporting us throughout the program.
Looking back, what I gained goes far beyond knowledge. It also includes broadened perspectives, inspiring exchanges, and meaningful international friendships. This experience will motivate me to continue paying attention to global issues in my future studies and career, and to contribute to fair and quality education.
Group picture at the Ministry of Education (MEXT).
The concert photo. Since it was close to Christmas, everyone was dressed with a festive Christmas vibe.
