Educational Outline Formulated Based on Jena Plan Education
Tabayama Village in Yamanashi Prefecture has formulated its educational outline starting in 2026, introducing 'Tabayama-style Yuru Jena Education' to revitalize the community through unique schooling.
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- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 00:00
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Tabayama Village, Yamanashi Prefecture (Mayor Yoshito Kinoshita) has recently formulated an "Educational Outline*1" that outlines the village's educational administration policy starting from fiscal year 2026. The target period is four years until fiscal year 2029. Based on the philosophy of "Jena Plan Education*2", an educational method originating in Germany where children learn autonomy and coexistence while respecting each individual, the outline clearly states the promotion of "Tabayama-style Yuru Jena Education*3", flexibly adopting these principles to the extent possible.
As of March 1, 2026, the population of Tabayama Village has decreased to 489, less than a quarter of its peak. As a countermeasure against population decline, the village started the "Parent-Child Mountain Village Study Abroad System" in 1992, welcoming nearly 100 children and their families so far. This fiscal year, more than half of the 24 elementary and junior high school students are utilizing this system, making it indispensable for maintaining local schools.
To aim for a village chosen by child-rearing generations, promoting distinctive school development is essential. Since fiscal 2022, Tabayama Village has started activities of the Community School (School Management Council). Taking advantage of the characteristics of a small-scale school, the village is actively engaged in enriching detailed education tailored to each student's individuality and abilities, providing experiential activities to touch local industries and traditional culture, and fostering cross-age interactions through cooperation among nursery schools, elementary schools, and junior high schools.
While exploring ways to continue these distinctive initiatives and clearly present the village's educational policy, it was found that the basic philosophy of the German-born "Jena Plan Education" shares many commonalities with the educational direction the village aims for. By flexibly incorporating the concepts of Jena Plan Education, "Tabayama-style Yuru Jena Education" was born as Tabayama Village's unique educational approach. The name "Yuru Jena" is officially used with permission from the "Japan Jena Plan Education Association", which promotes the development and spread of Jena Plan Education in Japan.
An information session for "Tabayama-style Yuru Jena Education" will be held in Tokyo on April 25 (Sat) from 2:00 PM. Details will be announced later on the village's official website and other channels.
*1 Educational Outline: A plan that defines comprehensive goals and fundamental policies for the promotion of local education, academics, and culture. It serves as a guideline for educational measures according to local conditions and is determined by the head of the local government after discussions at the Comprehensive Education Council. In Tabayama Village, following repeated deliberations by the formulation committee since July 2025, the Comprehensive Education Council was held in February 2026 to finalize the outline.
As of March 1, 2026, the population of Tabayama Village has decreased to 489, less than a quarter of its peak. As a countermeasure against population decline, the village started the "Parent-Child Mountain Village Study Abroad System" in 1992, welcoming nearly 100 children and their families so far. This fiscal year, more than half of the 24 elementary and junior high school students are utilizing this system, making it indispensable for maintaining local schools.
To aim for a village chosen by child-rearing generations, promoting distinctive school development is essential. Since fiscal 2022, Tabayama Village has started activities of the Community School (School Management Council). Taking advantage of the characteristics of a small-scale school, the village is actively engaged in enriching detailed education tailored to each student's individuality and abilities, providing experiential activities to touch local industries and traditional culture, and fostering cross-age interactions through cooperation among nursery schools, elementary schools, and junior high schools.
While exploring ways to continue these distinctive initiatives and clearly present the village's educational policy, it was found that the basic philosophy of the German-born "Jena Plan Education" shares many commonalities with the educational direction the village aims for. By flexibly incorporating the concepts of Jena Plan Education, "Tabayama-style Yuru Jena Education" was born as Tabayama Village's unique educational approach. The name "Yuru Jena" is officially used with permission from the "Japan Jena Plan Education Association", which promotes the development and spread of Jena Plan Education in Japan.
An information session for "Tabayama-style Yuru Jena Education" will be held in Tokyo on April 25 (Sat) from 2:00 PM. Details will be announced later on the village's official website and other channels.
*1 Educational Outline: A plan that defines comprehensive goals and fundamental policies for the promotion of local education, academics, and culture. It serves as a guideline for educational measures according to local conditions and is determined by the head of the local government after discussions at the Comprehensive Education Council. In Tabayama Village, following repeated deliberations by the formulation committee since July 2025, the Comprehensive Education Council was held in February 2026 to finalize the outline.