Professor Kiyoshi Nakamura,
Dean of the Faculty of Education
and the Graduate School of Education

The Faculty of Education of Utsunomiya University has a long tradition of 130 years, since its founding as the Tochigi Teacher-Training School in 1873 (the 6th year of the Meiji era). The foundation of the school was only a year after the enactment in 1872 of an educational law that modernized the Japanese school system. Such timing of the school's establishment indicates the need our predecessors felt for urgent training of school teachers in this period of revolutionary change from a feudal society to a modern one. Now, we are again faced with major changes in society and, in order to make them work for the better, we must surpass the efforts of our predecessors to prepare teachers for the future.

Education inevitably corresponds with changes in society. Therefore, educational ideas of the past are replaced with new ideas that reflect the values of present-day society. Japanese education in the Meiji era replaced the preceding Confucian-based education with Western, science- and technology-centered education. This introduction of Western thought led to a fear of Westernization of the Japanese people. In response, the Japanese spirit --- a mindset of traditional Japanese thought and values --- was emphasized. After World War II, the emphasis on the Japanese spirit was blamed for promoting ultra-nationalism. As a result, post-war ideas shifted to individualism and internationalism. Nowadays, it is said that traditional Japanese culture should be revalued.

As today's society changes rapidly, education must again change accordingly. A constant critique of preceding educational ideas is necessary. This necessity presents a challenge for teachers, for they have taught according to those preceding educational ideas and the children they teach must be prepared for the future. The stronger the teachers' sense of confidence and responsibility, the more difficult they will find it to criticize the old ideas behind the teaching they have practiced. Education is not something we can or should yield to an easy reform in response to change in society.

While people ask that education correspond to change in society, education cannot respond easily to change. How can we solve this paradox? It is often said that education must maintain a balance between eternity and trend. However, I disagree. I believe we should pursue the seemingly unchangeable side of education, even though it may lapse into trend as a result. This view may not be shared by many people, and it is natural that people have various views and various answers regarding education. The exploration of these many points of view in the field of education is encouraged in our school of education; and through these studies, I expect students to develop their philosophies of education and views of life.