On July 6, 2023, “the 10th Committee for Japanese Universities” for the Inter-University Exchange Project (Africa) was held online, joined by 35 faculty members and staff from each member university in charge of the project. The discussion centered on three topics: “sharing information related to platform projects,” “introduction to portal sites and future cooperation,” and “sharing information on the project of each university.”
First, the platform secretariat office shared “information related to the platform building,” which included Kyoto University’s fieldwork safety guide and the contents of the safety management seminar which was attended by observers from the member universities. The IAfP Secretariat Office introduced the renewed portal site and requested cooperation of the member universities in posting the educational content of each university on the JV campus and also posting articles on the events and experiences of students’ career development and updating university data on the portal site.
The participants shared information and exchanged opinions on good practices, safety management, and career support at each university. Hokkaido University, the Tokyo University of Agriculture, and Utsunomiya University presented examples of educational practices for African students, such as a high level of online lectures and on-demand and real-time classes considering time differences. Yamaguchi University introduced cooperation with Kagoshima University and Gifu University as an example of partnership between the member universities Japanese universities. Other universities also reported that they were promoting cooperation, for example, through educational events. In addition, internship program1s of the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and the Tokyo University of Agriculture were introduced as examples of activities for career support. Moreover, career support for international students at Hiroshima University was also introduced. Nagasaki University suggested greater cooperation among Japanese universities to introduce each other to African universities in order to accept a wide-range of African students in various academic fields that each member university cannot cope with, which they often encounter through exchanges with Africa.
Finally, the IAfP Secretariat Office proposed an event, such as a joint symposium in which the entire member universities could participate, by the end of the entire project in the following year.
