[lg policy] Japanese town hall to be foreign kids' school

[Harold Schiffman]

Japanese town hall to be foreign kids' school

HAMAMATSU, Shizuoka, Japan — A former town hall in Hamamatsu in Japan
is being reborn as a school for Latin American children, whose present
school building is small, old and has a leaky roof, and
recession-caused financial difficulties prevent upkeep.

By The Yomiuri Shimbun

HAMAMATSU, Shizuoka, Japan — A former town hall in Hamamatsu in Japan
is being reborn as a school for Latin American children, whose present
school building is small, old and has a leaky roof. Recession-caused
financial difficulties have prevented upkeep. The Hamamatsu city
government will next month begin renting the former town hall of
Yutocho, which merged with Hamamatsu in 2005, to Mundo de Alegria. It
has 111 students ages 4 to 17 from Brazil and Peru and provides
classes in their native tongues. According to the Japanese Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, this is the third
time a municipal government has lent its facilities for a local
foreign nationals' school.

On Friday, the students had a Christmas party, which was also a
goodbye party for their old building. As of Nov. 30, Hamamatsu was
home to 15,936 Brazilians and 2,278 Peruvians, many of whom work at
the various manufacturing firms concentrated in the area. Mundo de
Alegria was established in 2003 as a private educational facility. The
current building, which was renovated from a textile wholesaler's
facility, is about 7,000 square feet, and students have to hold gym
classes at a nearby park due to lack of space. The school has no funds
to repair the old building because it received only $44,000 this year
in support from local companies. Previous years have averaged about
$200,000.

Parents and the school's supporters attended Friday's Christmas party
and watched performances by the children, including dances in colorful
national costumes. "We wanted to cherish these last moments at our old
building," Principal Masami Matsumoto, 46, said.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010604592_japanlatinschool27.html

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