Study On Japan’s Aid To Africa In Mathematics And Science Education

Since 1990, the international community has focused their aid on the field of basic education. On the issue of expanding the education quantity or improving the education quality in Africa, Japan has put the emphasis on the in-service training of mathematics and science teachers. In this way, Japan not only meets the development needs of African countries, but also breaks the hegemony of the Western-dominated aid system, getting more global voice in the international aid in education. After decades of development, Japan has formed a fairly systematic aid mechanism. The practice of Japan’s assistance to Africa in mathematics and science education has been highly acknowledged by the international community. Therefore, it is greatly meaningful to make research on Japan’s aid to Africa in mathematics and science education, and this research can also provide some useful experience and significance to the China-Africa educational cooperation.This paper consists of five parts. The first part tries to describe the development of Japan’s mathematics and science aid to Africa, which is divided into three different historical periods according to the development of international aid thoughts. The chapter two mainly discusses the aid pattern of Japan’s mathematics and science education to Africa, including its operating system, evaluation mechanisms and implementation ways. The chapter three focuses on the case of SMASSE/SMASE Project in Kenya, analyzes its background and contents, then summarizes its characteristics. The chapter four summarizes the impacts of Japan’s aid to Africa in mathematics and science education in both positive and negative aspects. The last chapter summarizes some enlightenments by analyzing the status quo of China-Africa cooperation in education from the experiences of Japan’s mathematics and science education aid to Africa.