The Teacher of Teachers
Educational Information Institute (EII)
by Dr. Anthony Al-Jamie
Expecting to find a typical Japanese language school tucked away on the back streets of Shinjuku-ku, I was surprised when I arrived at Educational Information Institute (EII). This Japanese language school/research institute is located just a stone’s throw away from Shinjuku San-chome Station in a chic building right along the main drag of Yasukuni dori. Confusion began to set in when I stepped out of the elevator on the seventh floor and was greeted by two foreign men in suits, who ushered me past a classroom filled with Japanese students and into the Director’s office. It was at this point that I realized that EII was not your typical Japanese language school. I took my prearranged questions, crumpled them into a ball and tossed them into the wastebasket. Starting my interview from scratch, Yasunori Ishii, Director of EII had the following to say.
tj: I noticed all of the Japanese students in the classroom next door. Does EII have a teacher training program?
Ishii: The main goal of EII is to train Japanese language teachers and prepare them to work in the international community. Other Japanese language schools primarily offer Japanese language training for foreigners, and as a side business have teacher training courses, but EII’s main focus is on Japanese teacher training and obviously we have Japanese language learning programs for foreigners. The two programs naturally compliment each other.
tj: This is unique. What else sets your school apart from the others?
Ishii: Our methods. At other schools, teachers use many different methods within the same school. However, at EII, all of the teachers use the Image Lesson Method which is a direct method. Everyone in the classroom uses Japanese only — including the teachers and the students. No English or Chinese is used, even in classes with complete beginners. When students step into the classroom, we immerse them completely in Japanese. After
taking our intensive courses, students can read, write, listen and speak in Japanese, and get a job using their Japanese. We feel that students must learn not just how to speak Japanese, but how to think in Japanese. The secret to our unrivaled success is that we provide students with the most highly qualified and well-trained teachers in the nation, thus allowing them to learn the language effectively and in a very short amount of time.
tj: Don’t absolute beginners have difficulty learning in an
all-Japanese environment?
Ishii: Not at all. 95% of our Japanese language students start as absolute beginners. In fact, we prefer these types of students so that we can teach them how to learn. Those who already speak a little don’t learn as quickly as we have to reteach them how to learn. After taking our 3rd level of classes, our students can read a Japanese newspaper.
tj: Education Editor: When was the Institute founded?
Ishii: Nearly 30 years ago in 1971. We were originally a
Japanese language research association that evolved into an institute for Japanese language learning.
tj: What kind of students study Japanese through EII?
Ishii: We have contracted to teach Japanese and began language training programs for foreign diplomats, the European Community, trainees from the Indonesian Government, trainees from the Japan China Science and Technology Cultural Center, an affiliated high school of the University of Singapore, and the National University of Thailand.
tj: Do you find that students that come from countries that use Chinese writing characters such as China, Taiwan and Korea have an unfair advantage in the Japanese language classroom?
Ishii: At our school? No. Perhaps at other schools, but at EII, both students from "kanji countries" and students from "non-kanji countries" study together in the same classroom. We find that western students actually have an easier time learning Japanese kanji correctly as the Chinese and Korean students tend to be overconfident, thinking that they have a great advantage and they often overlook the fact that Japanese kanji and Chinese kanji are quite different.
tj: Rumor has it the market is flooded with Japanese language teachers. Do your graduates have difficulty in finding jobs?
Ishii: No, to the contrary. We have more jobs available than we do teachers. We simply can’t train them fast enough to keep up with the ongoing demand for highly qualified and certified Japanese language teachers.
tj: Where do graduates of EII teach?
Ishii: In Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, China, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Cuba and of course here in Japan.
tj: Do you have other branches?
Ishii: Yes — in Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Melbourne, Australia. We also have affiliated offices in Canada and Taiwan.
tj: What are your goals for the future?
Ishii: Well, we plan to open another branch office in Sydney, Australia and as always, to help people have a positive and fantastic experience with the Japanese language.
tj: It was a pleasure to interview you. Thank you.
japanese language education going global
Educational Information Institute (EII)
Unlike other Japanese language schools which began by offering Japanese language training courses for foreigners, and as the need grew, created teacher training courses, Educational Information Institute (EII) began as a Japanese language research institute and evolved into a teacher training school. Founded in 1971, EII now has branches in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Melbourne, Australia and Sri Lanka. EII attributes their unrivaled success to having one of the leading Japanese language teacher
training programs in the nation, a unique teaching approach called the “Image Lesson Method” and highly qualified and well-trained staff. TJ Education Editor Dr. Anthony Al-Jamie met with EII Director Ms. Sanae Inaho to find out what makes EII unique.
tj: I noticed that your list of branches now includes Sri Lanka. Is this a new addition to your international network?
Inaho: Yes, the new school in Colombo, Sri Lanka was created in November of 1999. It is the first school of its kind in the nation. We felt that there was a need for EII’s programs in Sri Lanka as there is great interest from those wishing to work for Japanese companies. Many Sri Lankans studied Japanese as an elective in high school and had nowhere to continue their studies as there were no Japanese schools in Sri Lanka until we came along.
tj: Do you feel that your ventures in Sri Lanka will be financially
profitable?
Inaho: No, not really. Our principal, Mr. Ishii believes in fulfilling the needs of society whether it is profitable or not. He saw a need in Sri Lanka for Japanese language instruction and he moved on it without hesitation.
tj: That is very interesting. It has been my impression that most Japanese teacher training institutes are run by business people who are motivated by potential profits.
Inaho: Ishii Sensei has dedicated his life to the expansion and improvement of Japanese language education. It is his goal to make available Japanese language instruction to people all over the world. He sincerely believes that his efforts will result in an improvement in communication which will benefit society. That is one of the reasons why I am so happy to be here.
tj: I see. Tell me about your working environment. I noticed that you have a number of foreign staff working here. Is this all part of Mr. Ishii’s internationalization plan?
Inaho: We don’t hire employees based on race. We look for motivated and talented individuals with a sincere interest in education. We have employees from Iran, Taiwan and Hong Kong working with us. We hire them based on their abilities, not their ethnic backgrounds and we all work as a family here at EII.
tj: Interesting. What are your plans for expansion during the year 2000?
Inaho: We plan to set up a new campus in Thailand later this year. As you know, for the past seven years we have had a campus in Melbourne, Australia and later this year we will be setting up a campus in Sydney.
tj: Do you have any plans for expansion within the country of Japan?
Inaho: At this point, there is nothing concrete, however, we would like to someday open a school in the Tohoku area.
tj: It is interesting that your school seems to mainly focus on Japanese language teacher training and your institution’s literature does not provide a lot of information for students of Japanese as a Second Language.
Inaho: Yes, we are primarily a Japanese teacher training school and over 500 students enroll in our Japanese teacher training programs each year. We do not actively recruit foreign students of the Japanese language. However, we do have a number of foreign students that come to us for Japanese language training.
tj: So it appears that EII is quite a unique institution. What would you say is the most unique aspect of your school?
Inaho: I would have to say the networking possibilities. Our institution places our graduates in positions teaching Japanese all over the world. Unlike many schools where students study for a given period of time, graduate and then move on, EII keeps close ties with its graduates. I guess you could say “Once with EII, always with EII”.
tj: What is the average age of EII’s students?
Inaho: We have students of all ages. I would have to say that most of the students are female office workers in their twenties. Recently we have had a number of university students apply. I think many of them are unsure of their future career and want to gain certification in an area where they can be employed.
tj: I would think that with all of the competition and the great number of Japanese language teachers and volunteer teachers, it would be difficult to find employment in this area. Is that the case?
Inaho: No, not really. There is an increasing demand for well-trained Japanese teachers. This is a world-wide demand. The Japanese government has plans to increase the number of foreign university students and foreign researchers. In order to become proficient in the Japanese language, they need to be taught by experienced and trained teachers and we are working to fulfill this need by training teachers all over the world.
tj: I see. So what does it cost to go through such a training program?
Inaho: We have three different levels. It begins with a three-month course for 260,000 yen. This teaches students the basics and prepares them to teach as volunteers. Most of the students then go on to our second course which prepares them to be professional teachers. This course costs approximately 290,000 yen. If they enroll in both courses at once, the tuition is discounted to 523,000 yen and it takes approximately seven months to complete. Those wishing to continue their research and study for an additional year can do so for about 320,000 yen.
tj: I see, and about how much time do they have to devote to
their studies?
Inaho: Six hours per week. They can study at various times of the day. Most students come twice a week for three hours a day.
tj: Okay. Well, thank you very much for taking the time to speak with me. I found it very informative and I wish you every success in your future endeavors.
Inaho: Thank you. It was my pleasure.
