In the rapidly developing town of Batu Pahat, Michiyo Morita, 21, is busy sharing her love for Japanese food, etiquette and culture with students of SMK(P) Temenggong Ibrahim. She has motivated her students to take part in the Japanese Language Festival in Kuala Lumpur where they performed the soran bushi, a Japanese cheerleading and choral speaking.
Morita is among the pioneer batch of eight Japanese language teacher assistants under the Nihongo (Japanese Language) Partners Programme, an initiative by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration called the WA project to reconnect Japan’s relationship with Southeast Asian countries.
During their stay, these teachers who must also be proficient in the Japanese language and also conversational English, are expected to not only promote the Japanese language and culture but also deepen their understanding of the local language, culture and customs of their host country.
“I have a special interest in Islam and I want to know more about it as there are few Muslims in Japan. “ said Morita.
By the time this programme ends in 2020 , they hope to send more than 100 Nihongo partners to Malaysia to reach out more schools throughout the country.
The other seven teachers are posted to other host schools which offer Japanese classes as part of their curricula. These schools are SM Sains Kubang Pasu and SMK Sultanah Asma in Alor Setar, Kedah, SMK Anderson in Ipoh and SBPI Gopeng, Perak, SMK Sulaiman in Bentong, Pahang, SBPI Gombak in Selangor, SM Sains Sembrong in Kluang and SMK (P) Temenggong Ibrahim in Batu Pahat, Johor.
Read their stories in Learning Curve this Sunday (June 7).
