Symposium on the Achievements and Future Prospects of the Collaborative Teacher Training Program Co-created by Five National Universities in Shikoku

Nara Education University, in collaboration with the Shikoku Region University Network Organization, will hold the "Shikoku Human Resource Development Academy Symposium" on July 31, 2026 (Fri). The theme is "Human Resource Development through Wide-Area Decentralized Collaborative Training" - Achievements and Future Prospects of the Collaborative Teacher Training Program at Five National Universities in Shikoku.

In regions facing rapid population decline due to low birth rates, the five national universities in Shikoku are operating a collaborative teacher training program based on a wide-area decentralized collaborative model, as a way to foster teachers in close cooperation with their respective regions.

The collaborative teacher training program at the five national universities in Shikoku is not merely a system to compensate for the deficiencies of each university. It is an initiative that aims to maintain and strengthen the teacher training functions undertaken by national universities in the Shikoku region, by mutually utilizing educational and research resources while leveraging the strengths and uniqueness of each university, with an eye toward a society with a declining population.

This symposium will take place as the first cohort of students enrolled in the collaborative teacher training program, which has been in operation since fiscal year 2023, is set to graduate in fiscal year 2026. It will summarize the achievements and challenges to date, and disseminate to the nation the future direction of human resource development in regional universities, in order to enhance the various issues and educational practices related to teacher training in Shikoku.

How to Maintain and Strengthen Regional Teacher Training Functions in an Era of Population Decline

The five national universities in Shikoku—Tokushima University, Nara Education University, Kagawa University, Ehime University, and Kochi University—established the Shikoku Region University Network Organization in March 2021 and have been working to enhance human resource development, establish and operate a collaborative teacher training program, revitalize research, and promote social collaboration.

The background to this is the challenge of how to maintain and further enhance regional teacher training functions in a society with a declining population.

Universities and faculties involved in teacher training work closely with the education committees of each prefecture to provide teacher training and professional development tailored to the educational circumstances of each region. To ensure that each university continues to uphold this role, it is crucial to build a collaborative system that transcends prefectural boundaries, balancing the autonomy of each university and faculty with inter-university collaboration. The collaborative teacher training program by the five national universities in Shikoku is the first initiative of its kind in the nation, established in fiscal year 2023 using the University Consortium Promotion Corporation system.

First Wide-Area Decentralized Collaborative Teacher Training Model in Japan

The philosophy shared by the five national universities in Shikoku is "wide-area decentralized collaborative teacher training." The aim is to maintain and strengthen the teacher training functions undertaken by each national university in the Shikoku region by sharing the educational resources of the national universities in the region.

Starting with students entering in fiscal year 2023, the collaborative teacher training program began operation for three licensed subjects: Art, Home Economics, and Information. Tokushima University, Nara Education University, and Kagawa University participate in Art; Nara Education University, Kagawa University, and Kochi University in Home Economics; and Nara Education University, Kagawa University, Ehime University, and Kochi University in Information.

Furthermore, according to past records, the number of collaboratively offered courses has been gradually increased since the start of operations in fiscal year 2023, with 75 courses planned by the first completion year in fiscal year 2026, and a cumulative total of 716 students enrolled by fiscal year 2025.

This symposium will serve as an opportunity to share the philosophy, establishment process, achievements, challenges, and future prospects of the collaborative teacher training program, which is the first wide-area decentralized collaborative teacher training model in Japan.

From "Complementarity" to "Co-creation": Creating Attractive Courses through Inter-University Collaboration

The collaborative teacher training program at the five national universities in Shikoku is not just a system where each university individually supplements the subjects it lacks. A major feature of the collaboration among the five national universities in Shikoku is the creation of "collaboratively offered courses" that leverage the characteristics of Shikoku and the strengths of inter-university collaboration, with faculty members from multiple universities jointly planning and developing new courses.

As representative examples, in the Art subject, the "Advanced Artistic Expression Theory" course includes a special lecture by the Director of the Mori Art Museum, "Possibilities of World Classroom Contemporary Art Education," and the "Regional Workshop Design" course utilizes the Setouchi Triennale as a field for Art Based Research. In the Home Economics subject, "Sustainable Living Creation" includes a special lecture and workshop by architect Kengo Kuma, as well as fieldwork in Tosayamada Town, Kochi Prefecture, focusing on the inheritance and development of life, industry, and culture centered around yuzu.

These initiatives provide students with specialized and practical learning opportunities that would be difficult for a single university to offer, through inter-university collaboration. By pooling the educational resources of each university, the program aims to enrich and enhance the appeal of teacher training courses, and to advance teacher training that responds to regional educational and social issues.

What the Collaborative Teacher Training Program Aims For

The collaborative teacher training program aims to qualitatively enhance regional teacher training functions through inter-university collaboration, rather than reducing them, even in an era of population decline.

Each university co-creates courses and educational opportunities that are difficult to achieve independently, while leveraging its regional characteristics and specialized expertise. Through the teacher training initiative involving the five national universities in Shikoku, Nara Education University is working to improve the quality of education and human resource development rooted in the region and to disseminate new collaborative models in regional universities.

Symposium Highlights

This symposium will feature keynote speeches by Mr. Tetsuo Goda, Director-General of the Higher Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, on "Inter-University Collaboration and the Future of Teacher Training with a View to 2040," and Mr. Atsushi Hamana, President of Kansai University of International Studies, on "The Future of Inter-University Collaboration and its Challenges."

In addition, a general report will be given by Mr. Shuichi Sako, President of Nara Education University, on "The Philosophy and Establishment Process of the Shikoku Region Collaborative Teacher Training Program," followed by a panel discussion involving representatives from the five national universities in Shikoku and student representatives from the collaborative teacher training program to discuss the achievements and challenges in advancing teacher training through the collaborative program.

This will be a forum not just for introducing the system, but for considering how regional universities in an era of population decline can collaborate, create attractive learning experiences for students, and foster human resources who support regional education.

Symposium Overview

Name: Shikoku Human Resource Development Academy Symposium

Theme: "Human Resource Development through Wide-Area Decentralized Collaborative Training" - Achievements and Future Prospects of the Collaborative Teacher Training Program at Five National Universities in Shikoku

Date and Time: July 31, 2026 (Fri) 13:30–16:30 (Reception starts at 13:00)

Format: Simultaneous in-person and online (hybrid format)

Venue: JR Hotel Clement Tokushima (1-61 Terashima Honmachi Nishi, Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture)

Target Audience: Educators, university faculty and staff, university and graduate students, and the general public

Participation Fee: Free

Registration: Please register by July 24 (Fri) via the special form (https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/eHv8UDH6ms). (Venue capacity: 30 people on a first-come, first-served basis)

Co-organized by: Nara Education University, Shikoku Region University Network Organization

Supported by: Tokushima University, Kagawa University, Ehime University, Kochi University, Shikoku Economic Federation, Tokushima Prefecture

Inquiries: Planning and Strategy Department, Regional Co-creation Division

TEL: 088-687-6098

E-mail: [email protected]

URL: https://www.naruto-u.ac.jp/