Little London High School signs ‘sister school’ deal with Japanese institution
Published:Monday | February 24, 2025 | 12:06 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Having signed a sister-school initiative with Japan’s Iwami High School, the administrators at Little London High School, Westmoreland, are now anxiously looking forward to seeing what benefits will come their way from the deal.
The historic signing ceremony took place last Wednesday during an official visit by a delegation from Iwami Senior High School and officials from Tottori Prefecture, the Japanese city where the school is based. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the twinning arrangements between Tottori Prefecture and the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation.
Tsujinaka Takahiko, principal of Iwami Senior High School, which has 200 students, said establishing the partnership with Little London High School is a perfect way to advance and deepen the ties between Westmoreland and the city of Tottori Prefecture.
“Strengthening the ties between Westmoreland and Tottori through education is a brilliant way to foster mutual understanding and cultural exchange, highlighting the longstanding relationship,” said Takahiko.
“In 2022, we started with the teaching of English through online programmes between Iwami Senior High and Little London High School teachers,” said Takahiko.
Garfield James, the principal of Little London High School, said he was thrilled with the initiative, highlighting the importance of international cooperation in education, which he believes will be highly beneficial to his students, noting that the mutual benefits have the potential to last a lifetime.
HOLISTIC APPROACH
“The world is a global village, and wherever we can get partnerships to look at culture and share information, especially when it comes to the development of students’ holistic approaches towards life, we must forge these types of partnerships,” said James.
Little London High School/Iwami Senior High School sister school partnership is expected to pave the way for future student exchanges, collaborative projects, and joint initiatives aimed at enriching the educational experiences of students from both schools.
“We are happy to have this partnership so that we can create the type of support for each other that is necessary to keep this partnership growing into something powerful,” said James.
The city of Tottori Prefecture has a population of 573,000, and from that population, Iwami Senior High School has a student population of 200, while Little London High School has a population of approximately 720 students.
“It is a small school based on the size of the population, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t learn and gain from each other,” said James, whose school is celebrating its 55th anniversary this year.