100 Stories1999 Visiting Classes, Offering a New Form of Education to the Next Generation and Companies

Asahi Kasei considers the education of the next generation to be part of social contribution. One of the related activities it engages in is the visiting classes, which have been taking place in each plant in the Nobeoka District for local middle school students since 1999. This is an activity where the employees serve as teachers and give science and chemistry classes.

This activity was carried out in cooperation with the local Board of Education or schools to solve the so-called “Science phobia” in education. At the time, this activity gained a lot of attention. It was even covered by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun as an advanced social contribution activity for companies.

After receiving such great feedback, the visiting classes were implemented in various places, starting in Nobeoka and expanding to Moriyama, Fuji, Tokyo, and Mizushima.

In Fuji City, interactive workplace tours were carried out for third-grade middle school students. The content of this tour included explaining the principle of the film and conducting experiments on it. In addition, they also learned the principle of the Hall element. This was a subject that involved equations, which could be difficult for middle school students, but when came to experiments, it was impressive that they were able to master the tools and eagerly gather data.

Visiting classes about the environment were held for sixth-grade elementary school students in Kurashiki City, where the Mizushima Plant is located. This elementary school is considered the model school in Kurashiki City for being environmentally friendly and having solar power and biotopes. This time, discussions about global warming were held and experiments using Styrofoam were offered at the manufacturing plant.

As Asahi Kasei continues to plan and implement activities, the education of the next generation has become one of its most important social contribution activities. Based on the experience gained from the visiting classes, Asahi Kasei carries out experiment classes when participating in Chemistry Makes Our Dreams Come True, the event carried out by the Japan Chemical Industry Association, or the Open Office Day that takes place in our headquarters.

Asahi Kasei has listed three social contribution activity themes: coexistence with the environment, promotion of culture, arts, and sports, and education of the next generation—the theme that the visiting classes represent. The expenses of the social contribution activities in FY2020 (April 2020–March 2021) reached 1.143 billion yen.