Innovation and national growth are in the hands of the younger generation”: “JICA Chair” for Tanzania’s future students to learn about Japan’s modernization
Tanzania’s largest university, the National University of Dar es Salaam. The students were listening intently to Mariko Hasegawa, President of the Graduate University for Advanced Studies, who was giving a lecture on stage. This past February, JICA held the “JICA Chair,” a lecture program to share Japan’s history of modernization with developing countries. Mr. Hasegawa, who participated in the program as a lecturer, talked about the path Japan has taken through repeated trial and error and the knowledge he gained from the experience. What did the young Tanzanians, who will be responsible for future nation building, gain from this lecture? What should Japan learn from Tanzania? We look at the lecture and the significance of the JICA chair.
600 participants in total attended the lecture on the history of science and technology development in Japan. It is you, young people, who will create a sustainable society in the new era. You must have curiosity, flexible thinking, open discussion, imagination, and a strong will to create a new society. I am sure you can do it. Mr. Hasegawa urged the Tanzanian youth in the audience.
The University of Dar es Salaam, the venue for the lecture, is a venerable university that has produced presidents of Tanzania and neighboring Uganda, and the two-day lecture program was attended by more than 600 people, including students, university and government officials, and private companies, both online and in person. Following a panel discussion on the first day that included Japanese IT companies, Mr. Hasegawa took the stage on the second day. He delivered a lecture on the theme of “Science and Technology Supporting National Growth.
At the beginning of the lecture, Mr. Hasegawa asks the students, “What exactly is science? At the beginning of the lecture, Mr. Hasegawa asks the students, “Science is an activity based on curiosity to know why things are the way they are. Science is an activity based on the curiosity to know why things are the way they are. Scientific progress is when the results of research are made public and discussed by everyone, leading to new discoveries and hypotheses, and the revision of existing ideas.
How was Japan, an island nation with no close ties to the Western societies that laid the foundation for today’s science, and which had even closed itself off from the rest of the world, able to accept and develop Western science and technology? The lecture looked at the history of Japan from the Edo period (1603-1867) onward, and discussed how the country has grown as a science and technology powerhouse.
The era of emulating developed countries is over. From now on, young people will find their own possibilities. “The development of science and technology solved various problems. However, it did not solve the fundamental problems of civilization: overproduction and overconsumption. It is now out of date to use the development of Japan and other developed countries as a model. The era of calling developed countries and developing countries “developed countries” and “developing countries” is over. Mr. Hasegawa concluded.
Looking at the history of human evolution from the beginning of agriculture and cattle raising 12,000 years ago, he says that dramatic changes have occurred in the 70 years or so since 1950. World population, energy consumption, and GDP have increased dramatically, and issues such as global warming and food shortages are mounting.
It is clear that we can no longer continue to exploit nature and pursue material abundance. We must strive for sustainability around the world, but everyone is groping for it. We are all in the developing world, eager to find a new way.
In this new age of the Internet, where people and things can be connected anywhere, what is needed are new ideas, new systems, and the flexibility to adapt to new situations,” said Hasegawa. He inspired the Tanzanian students, saying, “The future of innovation and national growth lies in the hands of the young generation growing up in a changing world.
I learned that I can start my own innovation/the importance of discussion “Through this lecture, I learned that I am a resource for innovation, that I can start my own innovation, and that I can do anything I want depending on myself” (Winfrieda Michel)
I learned that cooperation with other countries is important in the development of a nation. I would like to share the importance of this with other young people” (Kevin Malo)
The feedback received after the lecture shows how the lecture touched the hearts of the students.
The university faculty and others have also noticed a variety of things.
I think our students have learned the importance of being willing to learn about innovation and technology, and the importance of participating in these forums and lectures to learn and discuss what is happening in the world.” Philbert Jesseph Combe, a lecturer who teaches Philosophy and Religious Studies, said that the lectures have had a positive effect on his students.
On the other hand, he also presented issues to be addressed in the future, such as “how science and technology can change the social and economic outlook of Tanzanian society and address the challenges faced by those who are left behind in society.
© Source JICA
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