The Challenge of Local Private Schools to Change Education in Japan Edu-Technology and Ehime Prefecture's Saemi Heisei Secondary School Edu-Technology and Ehime Prefecture's Saemi Heisei Secondary School are collaborating on the "AI Education Co-Creation Challenge 2026. Edu-Technology and Ehime Prefecture's to the implementation of "AI-based personalized learning to "AI-based personalized learning" from the elimination of teacher workload.

Edu-Technology Corporation, Jeumi Heisei Secondary School (Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yoshihiro Sakagami) and Ehime Prefecture's Saemi Heisei Secondary School (Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture; Principal: Kunihiko Mori) have announced that they will collaborate as partner schools in the "AI Education Co-Creation Challenge 2026: Creating the Future of Education in Japan," for which Edu-Technology has invited applications from schools nationwide. The project is a one-year demonstration project to create a next-generation educational model for the future.

This project is a challenge to deeply embed generative AI into educational activities in the field and find systematic solutions to the common problems facing Japanese education: "teachers are becoming severely overworked" and "achieving personalized and optimal learning for each student".

(From left: Mr. Nakaya, vice principal; Mr. Sakagami, edu-technology; Mr. Mori, principal; Mr. Hamada, in charge of this project)

Background of the Project Launch and "Practical Know-how" Lacking in the Field

Currently, the Japanese educational field is at the stage where the deployment of terminals based on the "GIGA School Concept" has come to an end, and the question is how to utilize digital terminals to the highest level. Furthermore, the rise of generative AI is fundamentally changing the nature of education. However, in the field, teachers are still burdened with old-fashioned paperwork and documentation, and there is an overwhelming lack of practical know-how to connect "the latest technology" with "actual teaching.

In addition, there are still few examples of the use of rapidly evolving generative AI in the educational field, and the time has come to consider how to use it in a way that meets the needs of teachers in the field and brings the whole school together.

Edu-Technology and Jeremi Heisei Secondary School will take on the challenge of transforming the entire school organization by positioning generative AI not merely as a convenient tool, but as a "reassuring partner" that draws out the abilities of teachers and students.

(Discussing the contents of co-creation: from left, Mr. Nakaya, vice principal; Mr. Sakagami, edu-technology; Mr. Mori, principal; and Mr. Hamada, in charge of this project)

Reasons why the two parties are teaming up: The cause of local private schools using generative AI as a weapon.

The main reason why Edu-Technology selected the school as a partner from among the many schools that applied for the project, and why the two parties decided to join forces was that the school's administrators saw generative AI as a trump card to break through the geographical and resource constraints of local education, and they also saw the future of AI-based teaching and the deepening of student learning as a key to the success of the project. This is because they were looking at AI as a "trump card" for overcoming geographical and resource constraints in rural education.

Rural education is hampered by a lack of access to up-to-date information and outside expertise compared to urban areas. However, if both teachers and students can use the "environment that draws out wisdom" of generative AI, this barrier will disappear. We are convinced that the strong determination and practice of Jeumi Heisei Secondary School to "change education in Japan through technology, starting from the rural areas" will serve as a powerful model case for next-generation education in schools nationwide.

Comments from Kunihiko Mori, Principal of Saemi Heisei Secondary School

Since the opening of our school, we have been constantly searching for new forms of education. The rapid spread of AI is a major turning point that fundamentally reexamines the nature of education. Our reason for taking on this project is not simply to use AI to shorten work hours, but to use AI as an intelligent partner, to create an environment where teachers can focus on more creative educational activities, to create a new role of facilitator, and most importantly, to help students learn about and use AI correctly in their own career development. and, most importantly, to help students learn about and use AI to further advance their own career development activities. We are very much looking forward to working with Edu-Technology over the next year to introduce a new educational model from a local private school to the rest of the country.

Mr. Mori, Principal, Jeumi Heisei Secondary School

Comment from Yoshihiro Sakaue, President of Edu-Technology

We at Edu-Technology have been supporting the education field based on our mission "to realize the next generation's learning and contribute to the development of education in Japan. Today, teachers are extremely busy and are deprived of the time they should be spending with their children. The real solution to this problem lies not in the mere introduction of cutting-edge generative AI, but in the muddled practice of connecting to the "educational value" together with teachers in the field. We deeply resonated with the strong determination of Jeumi Heisei Secondary School to "change education in Japan from the countryside. Through this year-long collaboration, we will work together to create a 'new educational model for the AI age' that will become the hope of schools across Japan, and how technology can bring out the potential of teachers and students.

Mr. Sakagami, President of Edu-Technology

One-year roadmap of initiatives (tentative)

We will promote systematic and step-by-step utilization of AI in the following steps for one year until March 2027.

Establishment of a foundation: Basic AI training for faculty and staff

All teachers and administrative staff will acquire a correct understanding of the characteristics of AI, including its potential to generate inaccurate information, and acquire skills in designing effective prompts specific to the educational field.

School Business Reform: AI-based Evaluation Indicators and Support for Automation of School Business

The system supports the creation of rubrics for inquiry-based learning and drafts of lesson plans, which are difficult to create, using AI to significantly reduce the workload of teachers.

New inquiry learning" using NotebookLM and Gemini

We will build classes tailored to the AI age, in which students themselves will be able to use the generative AI as a wall-mate to deepen their own personal questions from a vast amount of information.

Behind-the-scenes of co-creation and the thoughts of teachers are now available in the company's column and notebook.

What is the future of education that the "AI Education Co-Creation Challenge" aims for? You can read the background of the project launch and interviews with the educators who are taking on the challenge together here.

URL of the column: https://www.edutechnology.co.jp/casestudy

URL of the note: https://note.com/edutechnology

About Edu-Technology, Inc.

Edu-Technology is a professional educational DX consulting group whose corporate philosophy is "Story Your Learning. We provide support by connecting the latest technology with practical know-how in the field of education to address issues faced by schools and municipalities nationwide, such as "teachers' increasing workload" and "realization of individually optimized learning". We support "essential educational DX" that maximizes the benefits of technology for both teachers and children.

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Representative Director: Yoshihiro Sakagami

Business description: Education DX consulting, ICT environment development support, AI generation, training support, and inquiry learning support,

　　　　　　　 Training support, support for inquiry-based learning

URL ： https://www.edutechnology.co.jp

About Saemi Heisei Secondary School

Opened in 1997 as a full-fledged coeducational integrated junior and senior high school, it became Ehime Prefecture's first secondary school in 2002. With "autonomy, creativity, and dialogue" as the pillars of its education, the school implements a meticulous and continuous education system that divides the six years into three phases: the "basic phase," the "enrichment phase," and the "development phase. Over the years, the school has developed a tradition of unique exploratory activities, such as students formulating their own questions and writing papers of several tens of thousands of words. Through the "AI Education Co-Creation Challenge," the school aims to nurture "personalized and optimal learning" and "the ability to solve unknown problems" in the students who will lead the next generation by combining its solid human education foundation with the latest technology.

Location: 5-6-3 Kuko-dori, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture

Founded: 1997 (Heisei 9)

Principal: Kunihiko Mori

URL ： https://www.saibi-heisei.ed.jp/