Takahiro Takabatake, President and CEO of Z-Kai Educe Co., Ltd.

Turning the COVID-19 pandemic and digital transformation into strengths. Preserving tradition and advancing innovation!

■ Profile

Born in Ishikawa Prefecture in 1970, he graduated from the School of Political Science and Economics at Waseda University in 1993 and joined Z-Kai Co., Ltd. He has been involved in various aspects of the classroom business for most of his career at the company, and was appointed Representative Director and President of Z-Kai Edus Co., Ltd. when the classroom business was spun off into a separate company in 2015. He also serves as an executive officer at Eiko Co., Ltd. and is involved in various classroom businesses within the group. His hobbies are watching soccer (behind the goal) and baseball (outfield seats).

Social conditions have changed dramatically. But even in these times, the things Z-kai values ​​most remain unchanged. Where will the education industry go from here, and what impact will digital transformation have on students? We spoke to President Takabatake, who has lived a positive life through all times, having overcome the job-hunting period immediately after the collapse of the bubble economy and entered the workforce until now, about the future of the education industry.

■ During the selection process for the education industry, I was able to speak honestly

During my university life, my daily routine was, "Extracurricular activities take precedence over studying!" I was a member of a mountain climbing club, and there were times when I wouldn't come back from a trip to the mountains for 20 days (laughs). The reason I decided to work in education was because I found my part-time job at a cram school very rewarding. I looked at a wide range of industries during my job search, but when I was interviewing in the education industry, I realized that I was able to speak honestly about my reasons for wanting the job, and I became convinced that "after all, I want to work in education!"

The sudden emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even in the midst of it all, "What Z-kai values" remains unchanged

Whether before or during the pandemic, Z-kai's most important priority remains the same: "working with each student one-on-one and carefully correcting their answers to develop their writing skills." At the same time, various methods have changed. For example, in Z-kai classrooms, entrance exam information sessions were held in person. Until now, these sessions were held face-to-face, so students and parents who couldn't attend could only receive paper materials. However, video streaming has become commonplace, allowing us to deliver authentic feedback to more students and parents. As a result, I think the service itself has improved significantly. Students can also use video lessons to review content they didn't fully understand.
However, the period when we were unable to hold classroom classes at all under the state of emergency declaration was extremely tough. We were streaming classes via video, but I was worried that some students were not making full use of them. We were also concerned about students relying too easily on online classes. Some students truly value face-to-face classes, so if we increase the number of online classes just because they are convenient, students may lose motivation and their academic performance may not improve. For these reasons, we held emergency meetings almost every day when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

■Strengths revealed over the past two years are "existing communication infrastructure" and "adaptability of teachers"

Over the past two years, I've come to realize that Z-kai's strength lies in its existing online infrastructure. In today's distance learning environment, it's becoming standard for students enrolled in the tablet course to receive digitally corrected answer sheets approximately three days after registering with Z-kai. Z-kai's existing infrastructure is what allowed it to stay ahead of competitors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another strength I've seen is how quickly Z-kai's teachers adapted to online classes within a month or two. While I've heard stories of students struggling to concentrate because teachers aren't used to online learning at other cram schools, Z-kai's classrooms are blessed with teachers who are skilled in online learning, and thanks to the teachers' daily improvements to their lessons, there's been virtually no decline in student achievement. While the past two years have been extremely challenging for our business, they've also allowed us to rediscover Z-kai's unique strengths.

■ Utilizing the advantages of both online and face-to-face education, creating a synergistic effect for higher quality education

These days, hybrid online and face-to-face classes are becoming more common. One of the benefits of this is that students can choose. Initially, the proportion of online classes was high, but after that, some students returned to face-to-face classes, while others continued online because they could concentrate better at home. Ultimately, I think the best thing is to provide high-quality online and face-to-face classes and let students choose.
Another benefit is that by combining the positive aspects of each, we are able to provide even better services. Furthermore, because Z-kai classes are taught by carefully selected professional teachers, the number of classes themselves is small, but with the spread of online classes, we have the advantage of being able to deliver classes to students all over the country. As a result, it feels like the market itself has expanded.

■Digital transformation continues, but "face-to-face correction" remains unchanged

Even as online learning becomes more prevalent, one thing that none of Z-kai's brands have attempted to eliminate is "correcting answers." Our employees share the same sentiment: "Without corrections, it wouldn't be Z-kai!" Our future challenge is to maintain our focus on written instruction while also figuring out how to achieve this through digital transformation. However, with the recent widespread adoption of high-quality handwriting recognition on tablets, there's also a sense of expectation that technology will rapidly surpass the current level. Furthermore, there's concern that if digital transformation goes too far, students' expressiveness will decline. This is why, in order to free up time for writing and thinking, we've pioneered the use of AI-powered learning materials, improving input efficiency. We now have a system that analyzes each student's learning progress and provides AI recommendations, such as "You should do this." In this way, we effectively utilize both real-world and digital transformation in different contexts.

■ Digital marketing that "verbalizes your strengths"

Advertising and marketing strategies are also becoming increasingly digital. Previously, inserts and direct mail were the norm, but now most of the advertising is online. In this climate, we are keenly aware that "a cram school without a strength cannot survive!" Since we are in a world where we are communicating with an unspecified number of people, it is most important to "verbalize your strengths" so that they can be found through word searches. Incidentally, Z-Kai classrooms are known as "a cram school where you can grow as a person through entrance exams!"

■Message to university students

I imagine that your university life has been extremely difficult due to the impact of COVID-19. However, at the same time, you have likely had some very valuable experiences and learned a lot. The experiences of broadening your range of activities despite restrictions and finding creative ways to communicate with friends will surely come in handy when you enter society. Just as Z-kai classes have further expanded the scope of their instruction through online instruction, I hope that you will not look at things too negatively, but rather think positively, discover new possibilities, and use your experiences to make society a better place in the future.

Student Newspaper Online, May 13, 2022, Interview by Misaki Otsuka, 4th year student at Tokai University