No.174 Visit to Cordova Town, Philippines

I visited Cordova Town, Cebu Province, Republic of the Philippines, from June 2 to 4.

In Inagi City, various measures are being implemented to improve children's English skills and promote internationalization. In January 2025, an educational exchange agreement was signed with Cordova Town through an online signing ceremony, and since April 2025, Filipino Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) have been directly employed, four of whom are from Cordova Town.

This time, a total of four people—myself, Superintendent Sugimoto, the section chief in charge, and a staff member—officially visited Cordova Town under the guidance of Achieve Goal Corporation. The main purposes were as follows:

1. To exchange opinions with Mayor Suan and other administrative officials, and to confirm and strengthen the foundation for educational exchange
2. To inspect the boarding English school jointly established by Achieve Goal Co., which trains and introduces ALTs to Japan, and Korea's SME Co., and to verify the teaching ability and training system of the Filipino ALTs assigned to Inagi City
3. To conduct necessary on-site assessments for considering the possibility of increasing the number of ALTs and utilizing English schools in order to further improve the English proficiency of elementary and junior high school students in Inagi City
   
   These are the three points.

At the Cordova Town Hall, as a commemorative gift from me to Mayor Suan, we presented a hanging scroll titled "Tenson Korin" created by Kuniko Onishi, a painter residing in Inagi City, a photo book of Inagi City, and an Omi folding fan. From the Board of Education, we gave "Nashinosuke goods."

Mayor Suan was deeply moved by these gifts, invited us to a luncheon, and even welcomed us to his home. Mr. Suan is a self-made businessman who proudly shared the achievements of his business activities, and it was confirmed that he is fully applying his managerial skills to the administration as well.

After visiting the town hall, we visited GABI Elementary School, a public school in Cordova, and the adjacent Cordova Public College, where we received explanations about the educational environment and the status of facility improvements. At the elementary school, we were told that all classes except Japanese language and history are conducted entirely in English. At the college, we observed a bridal party held as a practical program planned and operated mainly by the students. The students, who cooperated in preparing everything from stage decorations, costumes, cooking the dishes served at the reception, to hosting the ceremony, looked very happy. Incidentally, I was moved to learn that this program provides an actual wedding reception for local couples who cannot afford to hold a ceremony for financial reasons.

At the boarding English school, we toured the entire facility including classrooms, dormitories, dining hall, outdoor sports facilities, and event spaces. The four of us each experienced a mock individual lesson and received certificates of completion.

The immersive, residential environment with 24-hour English immersion over a one-week course is effective for short-term English skill improvement. It also has cost advantages compared to studying abroad in Europe or America, and we would like to consider its potential use going forward.

Since the signing of the agreement with Cordoba Town was conducted online due to circumstances, we had been coordinating an opportunity to visit for some time. Although this time it was a forced schedule of two nights and three days due to timing constraints, we were able to deepen our friendship with the mayor and believe that the objectives were largely achieved.

We will continue to deepen exchanges to contribute to the development of both municipalities and the advancement of English education in Inagi City.