summary
Conference Title: “Shiga Uminoko” Learning Content Introduction Webinar (Part 2) (Lake Managua Environmental Conservation, Nicaragua, BIWAKO TF Activities)
Date: September 7, 2022, 17:00-19:00 (Nicaragua time); September 8, 2022, 8:00-10:00 (Japan time)
Organized by: Managua City Hall / Nicaragua Office BIWAKO Task Force
Location: Online Seminar
Main Participants
Nicaragua side
Ministry of Education (16 employees), Managua City Hall (10 employees), Hydraulic Institute (6 employees)
the Japanese
Shiga Prefectural Board of Education and Shiga Lake Biwa Floating School (8 persons)
BIWAKO Task Force members (8 members) from Nicaragua Office
Officials from the Global Environment Department, Kansai Center, JICA Shiga Desk, and others (5 persons)
background
The capital of Nicaragua, Managua, the second poorest country in Central America after Haiti, is adjacent to Lake Managua, which is nearly twice the size of Lake Biwa. While Lake Managua is being developed as a tourist resource, water pollution is becoming serious due to the inflow of contaminated water caused by inadequate sewerage system maintenance, and Nicaragua is unable to take advantage of its rich natural resources.
JICA Nicaragua Office, which was aware of this situation, studied the situation and examples at home and abroad, paid attention to the experience of Shiga Prefecture in the development, conservation and restoration of Lake Biwa, which has developed its economy while promoting environmental conservation and restoration, and with reference to the “Lake Biwa Model” that Shiga Prefecture has been promoting to the world, established the BIWAKO Task Force (hereinafter referred to as the TF) to consider the challenges of Lake Managua environmental conservation in 2020. A BIWAKO Task Force (hereafter, the Task Force is referred to as TF) will be established with various staff members in the office to consider issues, and from 2021 onward, with the cooperation of ILEC, the Shiga Board of Education, and floating school officials who are engaged in Lake Biwa environmental conservation, the Nicaraguan One by one, we are implementing diverse activities related to the environmental conservation of Lake Managua.
In Nicaragua, the Nicaraguan version of “Uminoko*” has been implemented since last year, based on the 40-year experience of the “Uminoko” boat-boarding study (lake conservation) in Shiga Prefecture. The first onboard environmental learning experience in Nicaragua received high praise from the children and teachers who actually experienced the learning experience on board. The experience was also introduced by Nicaragua’s Minister of Education at COP26 in 2021.
Following on from last year’s webinar, this year’s webinar aimed to further upgrade the educational content of the Nicaraguan version of “Uminoko” and enable the implementation of enhanced environmental education. The teachers presented several experiments on the educational contents before, during, and after the “Uminoko” boarding, while practicing them live.
(Note: “Umi-noko” is a boat-riding learning program operated by the Shiga Prefectural Lake Biwa Floating School for the purpose of environmental conservation of Lake Biwa. It provides hands-on learning for fifth-grade elementary school children living in Shiga Prefecture.
Contents
Introduction of the 2nd “Shiga Uminoko” study contents
Explanation of the study ship “Uminoko” (history, achievements, facilities, vision, etc.) Explanation of educational contents
a. Pre-boarding “pre-study
b. “Lake Biwa Study” while on board
c. Post-boarding “Post-study” Questions and Comments Messages from Nicaraguan officials Messages from JICA Nicaragua office
At last year’s inaugural “Shiga Uminoko” webinar, teachers from the Shiga Floating School introduced various scientific experiment content to be conducted while aboard the “Uminoko” to understand the aquatic environment of Lake Biwa. After this webinar, Nicaraguan officials implemented the Nicaraguan version of “Uminoko” for the first time, adapting it to Nicaragua’s needs and conditions with reference to “Uminoko,” which was highly appreciated in the country.
In this second webinar, in addition to last year’s “onboard” science experiments, a series of “before” and “after” educational content was also explained with specific topics and experiments.
The “Umi-noko” in Shiga Prefecture, which boasts 40 years of experience, is a boarding type learning experience for all fifth graders in Shiga Prefecture, and now more than 40% of the population of Shiga Prefecture has experienced “Umi-noko”. In the course of its long history, Uminoko has been established as a safe, secure, and educational vessel.
Next, the “pre-boarding” study was explained. The class will be given specific themes such as “fish” and “plankton,” and the students will be asked to find out what they can do to protect the lake. At this stage, they will talk about the good points of Lake Biwa, whether the water is clean or dirty, the situation of pollution in the lake 50 years ago, and the decrease in the number of fish due to the overgrowth of waterweeds and garbage.
He also explained that the “on-board” learning experience would include several observations and experiments to “look at the living creatures of Lake Biwa” and provide an opportunity to think about the water of Lake Biwa. During the webinar, a demonstration of the “Lake Biwa Water Clarity Survey” was shown on the screen, explaining how many years it takes for the clarity of polluted water to recover. He explained that it is important for people to “realize” that the water has become cleaner as a result of people’s efforts.
Finally, in the “post-boarding” class, students were asked to reflect on their “on-boarding” learning, organize their thoughts (in the form of study newspapers, sticky notes, survey results, etc.), and answer the question, “What actions are needed for humans to coexist with the beautiful lake and its inhabitants? The content of the study was designed so that each student could give his or her own answer to the question, “What actions are necessary for humans to coexist with beautiful lakes and the creatures that live in them?
After this presentation, a Nicaraguan teacher asked a question regarding theme setting, such as, “At what stage do you decide on the theme for the onboard learning and when do you communicate the theme to the students? The Shiga Floating School responded, “The teachers consider, decide, and prepare the theme in the pre-boarding stage, and the theme study begins before the students board the ship.
The Managua City Hall, the organizer of the Nicaraguan version of Uminoko, commented, “I thought the educational content of Uminoko for the conservation of Lake Biwa was excellent because it included systematic and practical scientific content, including past, present, and future prospects. We would like to follow the example of Lake Biwa in Nicaragua (Lake Managua conservation) and continue the project for 25 years. After the second “Uminoko” project, we will make every effort to provide a good report to everyone,” he said enthusiastically.
In closing, Mr. Takasago, Director of the JICA Nicaragua Office, gave the following words of encouragement: “I would like to send my best wishes to everyone involved in Nicaragua for the implementation of the Nicaraguan version of Uminoko. I hope that this program will be continued in Nicaragua for the next 25 years, following the 40-year experience of Shiga Prefecture, and that it will be handed down to future generations for a long time to come.
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