[Manabuterace] Creating a society where all children can have 'their own strengths'

Our company endorses April Dream, an initiative to make April 1st a day for announcing dreams. This press release represents the dream of "Manabuterace."

## Is it really okay for "children who are good at studying" to be considered "amazing children"?
Test scores, deviation scores, admission records—since when has the value of children been measured solely by their academic performance?
Online home tutoring service "Manabuterace" (operated by Dream Education Inc., Representative: Shichiro Sakamoto) advocates for the dream of "creating options for society as a whole to support the unique strengths of each child."

## The reality of children we have witnessed
Since its establishment in 2016, Manabuterace has provided over 500,000 online lessons and has been utilized by families in 30 countries worldwide.
Throughout this experience, we have repeatedly observed scenes like these:
- Children who lose confidence, thinking "I'm no good" because they can't keep up with group classes at cram schools.
- Children who become averse to studying itself, overwhelmed by the volume of four subjects required for junior high school entrance exams.
- Children who are rejected with "we cannot accommodate them" simply because they have developmental characteristics.
- Children who have hobbies they love but are forced to give up all their extracurricular activities for entrance exams.
The "likes" and "talents" of children are being crushed by the yardstick of exams and grades. We want to change this reality.

## Our Dream: To increase the number of children with "strengths"
Manabuterace aims for a society where all children can proudly say, "I have this."
To achieve this, we are continuing three challenges.

### 1. Both studies and extracurricular activities, in one place
Manabuterace offers over 20 types of extracurricular lessons, such as abacus, piano, programming, shogi, art, and science experiments, in addition to academic guidance for five subjects, all on the same platform.
The calculation skills acquired through studying can be further refined with the abacus. Logical thinking developed through programming can become the ability to solve word problems in math. We are realizing an online environment where "likes" and "learning" are naturally connected.

### 2. Expanding the option of "2-subject entrance exams"
Representative Shichiro Sakamoto published his book "Junior High School Entrance Exams Only Require Studying 2 Subjects" (Natsume Publishing) in March 2026.
While a 4-subject exam requires 25 hours of study per week, a 2-subject exam requires only 15 hours. This creates a "margin" of 10 hours per week. Dedicating this margin to nurturing a child's "likes" and "talents"—that is the new form of entrance exam that does not rely solely on deviation scores.
Approximately 70% of private junior high schools in the Tokyo metropolitan area conduct 2-subject entrance exams in some form. The options already exist.

### 3. For children with developmental characteristics, children who are truant, and children living overseas
Manabuterace has over 200 instructors. Among them, more than 40 instructors have extensive experience in supporting developmental disabilities. We also provide daytime lessons for children who are truant and time-difference adjusted lessons for families living overseas.
Manabuterace wants to be a place where we can explore the possibilities together, believing that every child, regardless of their characteristics, has a learning style that suits them.

## Strengths exist in everyone
A child who mastered mental arithmetic with an abacus gained confidence in math.
A child who became engrossed in programming started to study on their own, wanting to learn more.
A child who didn't fit in at a group cram school was able to demonstrate their true abilities in one-on-one online lessons.
Finding what you "like," nurturing it, and developing it into a future strength.
We believe that the abilities that cannot be measured by deviation scores are the true strengths that support children's lives.

## Message from the Representative
"It's natural that if everyone is forced to follow the same method, some children will inevitably fall behind.
I feel that we need options that can support each child's strengths as a whole society, by standing by such children.
Manabuterace aims to be one of those options."
—Shichiro Sakamoto (Representative of Manabuterace, Home Learning Consultant)

## "Manabuterace" Service Overview
- Item: Content
- Service Name: Manabuterace
- URL: https://www.manatera.com/
- Operating Company: Dream Education Inc.
- Representative: Shichiro Sakamoto
- Established: 2016
- Service Content: Online home tutoring (studies + extracurricular activities)
- Number of Instructors: Over 200 (8% acceptance rate)
- Supported Subjects: 5 core subjects + Eiken + Junior high school entrance exams + High school entrance exams + University entrance exams + Over 20 types of extracurricular activities
- Fees: 0 yen admission fee, 0 yen monthly fee, pay-as-you-go reservation system (1 session 50 minutes, from 2,640 yen)
- Cumulative Lessons: Over 500,000 sessions
- Service Area: 30 countries worldwide

## Related Links
- Manabuterace Official Website: https://www.manatera.com/
- Junior High School Entrance Exam "2-Subject Exam" Special Page: https://www.manatera.com/wte/chuju2ka/
- Developmental Disability Support: https://www.manatera.com/wte/hattatsu/
- Truancy Support: https://www.manatera.com/wte/futoko/
- Extracurricular Lessons: [URL truncated in original input]