20 students from India to participate in Sakura Programme 2024

The Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education (DoSEL), is sending 20 school students and 2 supervisors to Japan to participate in the Sakura Programme 2024 along with 5 other countries from 20-26 October 2024. The enthusiastic and excited children were flagged off by Shri Charanjt Taneja, Deputy Secretary, DoSEL; Dr. Amarendra Prasad Behera, Joint Director, CIET-NCERT; and Ms. Kirti Panwar, Deputy Commissioner, Navodaya Vidyalaya in a ceremony at CIET-NCERT organised by DoSEL. The event was also attended by Mr. Kemmochi Yukio, Manager of the Japan Science and Technology Agency, and officials from DoSEL-MoE. These 20 students (10 boys and 10 girls) are from Navodaya Vidyalayas and alumni of the PRERANA program from across the country.

To develop the intellectual horizon and scientific exploration among young learners, the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) has been implementing the “Japan-Asia Youth Exchange Program in Science” also known as the “Sakura Science Programme” since 2014. India was added to the Sakura Program in 2015. The students are invited under the programme for short-term visits to Japan, giving them the opportunity to experience Japan’s cutting-edge science and technology as well as its culture.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, while emphasizing the importance of curriculum and pedagogy in schools, endorses that “Learning should be Holistic, Integrated, Enjoyable and Engaging in itself. Also, NEP-2020 states that in all stages, experiential learning will be adopted as standard pedagogy within each subject, and with explorations of relations among different subjects. It is in this context that educational trips and excursions to various places of importance in terms of historical, cultural, social and technological development are of paramount importance. Japan as a developed nation, a friendly country, along with technological advancements, is also a favourite destination for educational exposure. Therefore, visiting a country like Japan is always enriching and provides an opportunity for the exploration of innovative practices.

India participated in the program for the first time in April 2016. So far, 553 students and 85 supervisors have visited Japan under this programme. The last batch visited Japan in June 2024.