Meiko Network Japan Co., Ltd. President and CEO Kazuhito Yamashita

Develop your individuality through instruction that values ​​"who you want to be"!

President and CEO of Meiko Network Japan Co., Ltd.　山下一仁(Yamashita Kazuhito)

■ Profile

Born in December 1959 in Ebetsu, Hokkaido.
After graduating from university, he joined The Daiei, Inc. in 1984. After working as a store manager and general manager at the company, he gained experience at several companies before joining Meiko Network Japan Co., Ltd. in March 2007. He became a director at the company in November 2007, and was appointed representative director at the company in November 2018.

As a pioneer of private tutoring schools, Meiko Gijuku has helped many students get into their first-choice schools. "We are conscious of creating an environment where students can enjoy themselves," says Meiko Network Japan's President Yamashita. We spoke to him about his thoughts on education and his outlook for the future.

As a student, I devoted myself to kendo for four years. I had no interest in becoming a manager, and I devoted myself entirely to club activities. When I was job hunting, the distribution industry was in the spotlight, so I joined Daiei, which offered the best benefits. Once I started working, I began to realize that working was a lot of fun. I changed jobs several times, but none of them were in industries completely unrelated to education. However, after hearing a talk by Meiko Gijuku's founder and current chairman, Mr. Watanabe, I deeply resonated with his philosophy of "developing people through contributions to education and cultural projects." I felt a great attraction and potential in applying my experience selling various products to an intangible service: "responsible for the future of children," so I joined Meiko Network Japan.

■ It is important to respect students' independence and take them seriously

Meiko Gijuku is a pioneer of individualized instruction in Japan. We believe that individualized instruction is the most suitable form of education. Of course, group cram schools also have many positive features. I think that the strengths of group cram schools include the fact that classes are organized by academic ability, students work hard together, and a competitive spirit is born, leading to improved academic performance. However, at the same time, there are many students who cannot keep up in group cram schools. I think the appeal of individualized instruction is that it can provide content that best suits each student, regardless of whether they are good at studying or not.
I believe there are two appealing aspects of Meiko Gijuku. The first is that we thoroughly implement "future-oriented education." We place great importance on counseling, where we listen to students' visions for the future and the schools they would like to attend. While academic guidance is of course important, it is also important to clarify individual aspirations. Rather than simply striving for a high level of learning, we place emphasis on setting and achieving the goals of who you want to be, regardless of your level.
For example, we once had a student attending our Abashiri classroom in Hokkaido who wanted to study at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa. When we asked him why, he said that on a school trip to the Churaumi Aquarium he saw a student from the University of the Ryukyus giving a presentation on their research results, which sparked his interest in marine biology research. We believe that this kind of independence in children is very important. We believe that it is this kind of attitude that has led to our company's record of having the most students accepted into high school and university.
The second appealing aspect is that we want to be like a second school. Meiko Gijuku's role is not just to provide the functional value of self-setting goals, but also to provide emotional value that makes students want to come to class. That's why we're committed to creating an environment where the head of the classroom and our instructors can listen carefully to what students have to say. We believe that what makes our school "Meiko" is that students come to class because they enjoy being there, rather than because they have to study unwillingly. Creating a safe environment is also important. Previously, flooding occurred in the Mabi district of Okayama, and water reached the second floor of our classroom. While only fire engines and the Self-Defense Forces were still active, Meiko Gijuku was the first to light the lights and resume operations. Even those who weren't Meiko Gijuku students gathered in our classrooms to receive instruction. We always value interpersonal connections, no matter the situation.

■ The type of person we are looking for is someone who "likes people."

I think the common trait among people who work at Meiko Gijuku is that they love people.
When interviewing new graduates, I ask questions like, "What kind of conversations did you have in the waiting room before the interview?" What kind of people were the other participants, and were you able to bring out their charms? I believe that you can't respond in this way unless you like and are interested in people. As long as you like people, it's no problem even if you have different ways of thinking. A diverse range of individual interests come together to make an organization stronger, so we welcome people like that.
Currently, technology is advancing and knowledge is being replaced by AI and other technologies. However, thinking skills will continue to be necessary. The independent learning we have been doing up until now will continue to be a necessary learning method.
In the future, we would like to develop services aimed at foreign talent. Japan is a country that exists thanks to the presence of foreigners, and inbound demand is expected to grow even more in the future. Furthermore, foreign tourists are not only visiting major cities, but also many in the countryside. However, hotels and inns in these regions are not fully equipped to handle this demand. We see business opportunities in this area and would like to provide educational services for foreign talent.

■Message to students

I want all students to cherish their individuality. Find what you want to do and work hard towards it. I also want you to grow up to be adults who have a strong sense of self and are not easily influenced by others. I feel that Japanese people have less motivation than people from other countries. I think that the difference in national strength lies in the strong desire of each individual to make tomorrow even brighter than today. You all have limitless potential. Be motivated and try anything you can.

Student Newspaper Online, August 8, 2023 Interview by Rikkyo University 3rd year student, Narina Ogata