Japan school aims to create 'Asian leaders'
Lin Kobayashi (pictured in July), 37, a former investment
analyst at Morgan Stanley and one-time IT venture company director,
pictured during an interview with AFP, at the International School of
Asia, Karuizawa (ISAK), at Japan's mountain resort town Karuizawa in
Nagano prefecture, central Japan.
53 students from 14 countries are seen holding hoops with their
fingers as part of a cooperation learning exercise at a class of the
International School of Asia, Karuizawa (ISAK) at Japan's mountain
resort town Karuizawa in Nagano prefecture, central Japan.
Lin Kobayashi, 37, a former investment analyst at Morgan Stanley
and one-time IT venture company director, pictured during an interview
AFP at the International School of Asia, Karuizawa (ISAK) at Japan's
mountain resort town Karuizawa in Nagano prefecture, central Japan.
AFP - Asia may be driving growth in the world economy but a
Japanese businesswoman behind an innovative new school believes the
region is over-reliant on Western-style leadership.
Lin Kobayashi hopes her foundation outside Tokyo will help change
that by breeding a wave of political and business leaders -- but with
what she sees as a more "Asian" way of thinking.
Building work on the International School of Asia, Karuizawa (ISAK)
began in September. The launch of classes, all taught in English, is
planned for 2014 making it Japan's first international boarding high
school.
Kobayashi, 38, a former investment analyst at Morgan Stanley, said
the school will bring together students from a wide range of cultures
and socio-economic backgrounds, with scholarships for poor students
funded by donations.
But she said she wasn't aiming to simply rival elite schools such as
Britain's Harrow or Dulwich College, which have set up Western-style
campuses in places such as China, Hong Kong and Thailand.
And she added she wanted to change what she sees as an assumption in
Asia that it was preferable to seek out education systems in which
Western-style leadership was taught.
"Asia is already at the centre of the world's economy, but is still
relying on Western-style leadership that thinks charisma is only to be
found in a loud, top-down approach," said Kobayashi, formerly of the
Japan Bank for International Cooperation and also the UN Children's Fund
in Manila.
"I think we need Asia-oriented leaders who value consensus and
harmony and can combine that with deep background knowledge about the
complicated history and diverse cultures of Asia."
The foundation has so far collected 1.5 billion yen ($19 million) in
donations and private funding to cover initial costs, while inviting
prominent business figures to come on board as advisors.
In July it opened its third annual 10-day summer school, with 53 students from 14 countries. The course cost 300,000 yen.
Kobayashi said the school will place particular emphasis on regional
history, a subject that divides a continent where narratives differ
widely from country to country and are at the root of various
territorial stand-offs.
Tensions have recently flared between Japan and China in a row over
disputed islands in the East China Sea, with trade between the two
countries looking set to suffer. The relationship was worth well in
excess of $300 billion last year.
"We don't teach one-sided history. It is important to learn about
diversity of historical perspectives and the multi-ethnic structure of
the region," Kobayashi said, adding that she wanted to bring in teachers
from many different backgrounds.
Lzaw Saw Nai, a 14-year-old student from Myanmar who joined this
year's summer school, said he was "very much interested in leadership".
"We have political and many other problems in my country," he said.
"I feel I should do something, but first I need to learn. So, I came
here."
Tareq Habash, 13, from Palestine, said: "My country is in need of
leaders who can understand the need of the country and not just for what
they want for themselves."
Kobayashi said she hopes potential future leaders of Japan, a place
where politics is often criticised for its lack of talent, will also
benefit.
"Japanese education does not do enough to train people to lead," she
said, adding that this was something the country desperately needed in a
region increasingly dominated by a rising China.
In the wake of defeat in World War II, Tokyo fashioned an education system that prized uniformity.
While observers say this was one of the things that helped drive the
miracle of recovery, they also argue that uniformity is now hampering
progress, amid calls for strong, free-thinking leaders who can drive the
country forward.
Yoshiaki Nomura, an expert in leadership education at Osaka University, said the idea of the new Asian school was timely.
"I think a curriculum that will foster a new elite is needed," said
Nomura. "We have learnt a lot about classic theories of Western
leadership, but I often feel that what we need in Asia may be
different."
Jun Nakahara, associate professor of higher education at the
University of Tokyo, agreed that leadership is not always an innate
quality but rather "something you have to learn about".
But he said on-the-job experience may be more valuable than classroom-based learning.
"They have to provide students with opportunities for practical
experience in which they can exercise their own leadership," he said.
He added that the school could be a ground for future networking
opportunities but that it would "take some time" before it enjoyed the
kind of influence of its established rivals in the West.
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