Musashi International School Tokyo (MIST), formerly Little Angels International School and Academy (LAIS リトルエンジェルス・インターナショナルスクール; formerly リトルエンジェルス学園 ''Ritoru Enjerusu Gakuen''), is an international school, kindergarten, English school, and adult business school with two campuses located in Mitaka,
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.
It was designed to cater to Japanese children, whereas other Indian international schools in Japan were established mainly for Indian children.Fackler, Martin. Losing an Edge, Japanese Envy India’s Schools " ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. January 2, 2008. Retrieved on March 9, 2015 Alternate linkArchive "Unlike other Indian schools, Ms. Angelina said, Little Angels was intended primarily for Japanese children, to meet the need she had found when she sent her sons to Japanese kindergarten."
Composition
The school includes Little Angels International School (LAIS; リトル・エンジェルス・インターナショナル・スクール) for full-time students and Little Angels English Academy (リトル・エンジェルス・イングリッシュ・アカデミー) for after-school classes. The Little Angels International School has four divisions: Little Angels International Kindergarten (リトル・エンジェルス幼稚園), the Little Angels International Elementary School (リトル・エンジェルス小学校), Little Angels International Middle School (リトル・エンジェルス中学校) and Little Angels High School (リトル・エンジェルス高等学校). The curriculum follows both
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
The , also known as MEXT or Monka-shō, is one of the eleven Ministries of Japan that composes part of the executive branch of the Government of Japan. Its goal is to improve the development of Japan in relation with the international community ...
(MEXT) guidelines and international English guidelines for education. The Little Angels Middle School and High School have received accreditation from the
Cambridge International Examinations
Cambridge Assessment International Education (informally known as Cambridge International or simply Cambridge and formerly known as CIE, Cambridge International Examinations) is a provider of international qualifications, offering examinations ...
The Japan Times
''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo.
History
''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...
''. April 15, 2010. Retrieved on March 9, 2015. under the name Little Angels Business School (リトル・エンジェルス・ビジネス・スクール).
The Mitaka Main Campus (三鷹本校) has all levels of education, including the school, kindergarten, English academy, and business school. The
Mitaka Station
is a passenger railway station located in the city of Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
Lines
Mitaka Station is served by the Chūō Main Line, acting as the terminus for all-stations Chūō-Sōbu Line ...
Campus (三鷹駅校) houses the Little Angels English Academy & International Kindergarten.
The school's original kindergarten campus in Mitaka was previously a single family residence.Saito, Mayumi. Weekend Beat: Japanese parents praise Tokyo's Indian schools (). ''
The Asahi Shimbun
is one of the four largest newspapers in Japan. Founded in 1879, it is also one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. Its circulation, which was 4.57 million for its morning edition and ...
''/''
International Herald Tribune
The ''International Herald Tribune'' (''IHT'') was a daily English-language newspaper published in Paris, France for international English-speaking readers. It had the aim of becoming "the world's first global newspaper" and could fairly be said ...
''. September 22, 2007, Tokyo edition. Retrieved on March 10, 2015 See alternate locationArchive . "A native of India, Sanku opened the kindergarten in Mitaka, western Tokyo, in 2004." The school previously had a campus in
Kichijōji
__NOTOC__
is a neighborhood in the city of Musashino in Western Tokyo, Japan. It is centered on a compact but popular commercial area to the north and south of Kichijoji Station, with a full range of shops, restaurants, bars, and coffee house ...
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, moved to Japan in 1990 and became a
non-resident Indian
Overseas Indians ( IAST: ), officially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) are Indians who live outside of the Republic of India. According to the Government of India, ''Non-Resident Indians'' are citizens of In ...
. Angelina, who is known as "Rani Sanku" due to the ease in pronouncing it in Japanese, established an English-training school, Little Angels English Academy, in 2002. The kindergarten was started in 2004. In the beginning, the school had an enrollment of only 5 students; This, however, increased to 15 students in 2005 and 30 students in 2006. By February 2008, enrollment had reached 85 students.Terada, Shinichi More parents send kids to Indian, Chinese schools
. ''
The Japan Times
''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo.
History
''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...
''. Sunday December 28, 2008. Retrieved on March 11, 2015 Alternate link Japanese student enrollment increased along with the general student enrollment.Takizawa, Kosuke and Mai Fukuda. Indian-style education gets an A " . ''
The Daily Yomiuri
The (lit. ''Reading-selling Newspaper'' or ''Selling by Reading Newspaper'') is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five major newspapers in Japan; the other four are t ...
''. February 12, 2010. Retrieved on March 9, 2015. The school was scheduled to add the sixth grade in 2011. Melinda Joe of ''
The Japan Times
''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo.
History
''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...
'' wrote that Little Angels "even helped pave the way for other Indian international schools in Tokyo, such as the
Global Indian International School
Global Indian International School (GIIS) is a Singapore-based international school established in 2002.
History
GIIS' first campus at Cheviot Hill was established by Global Schools Foundation in 2002 with just 48 students with the aim of pro ...
Circa 2010 the school had incorporated aspects of Montessori education, with additional group work and a decreased emphasis on memorization. Students begin speaking English in public at ages 2Oguma, Naoto. Little Angels Gakuen Encouraging Independence and Self-reliance
Archive . '' Fun Life!''. No. 1, Summer 2012. Retrieved on March 9, 2015. or 3, and at age 4 they were to only speak in English at school. Mathematics instruction began at age 2 and computer instruction began at age 3; these ages are younger than the respective ages at traditional Japanese schools. Other classes include arts and crafts, dance, and science.Asians offer fresh perspectives (). '' The Nikkei Weekly''. August 27, 2007. Retrieved on March 10, 2015. The school used Indian textbooks, but the school did not have Indian history classes. Conversation, games, and songs are part of the curriculum.
, most students at this school and other Indian international schools who intended to study in the system until high school were aiming to enroll in universities outside Japan; the Tokyo Metropolitan Government considered this school and the other two Indian international schools in Tokyo to be "unauthorized schools" or schools which do not count as providing compulsory education under the School Education Law of Japan. A student who only attends "unauthorized schools" is ineligible to attend a university in Japan, unless they complete an accepted international curriculum such as the International Baccalaureate, or
Cambridge International Examinations
Cambridge Assessment International Education (informally known as Cambridge International or simply Cambridge and formerly known as CIE, Cambridge International Examinations) is a provider of international qualifications, offering examinations ...
.
The school is currently undergoing evaluation by the Council of International Schools to provide opportunities for the graduates to enter Japanese and foreign universities.
Student body
In 2008, it had 45 students, one of whom was Indian. Japanese people made up 80% of the students . Children of mixed marriages and children from other countries make up the remainder. , the percentage of Japanese students rose to almost 90%. , the number of students rose to almost 90 students spanning from pre-school to middle school.
Teaching staff
In 2008, there were four full-time teachers, three of whom were non-Japanese. , the majority of the teachers started
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
early in their lives. These instructors originated from
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
and
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
; including India, Indonesia, and Nepal. As of 2015, the school has teachers from Australia, England, Greece, India, Jamaica, Nepal, Philippines, the United States and have a diverse faculty.
See also
*
Indians in Japan
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
Japanese schools in India:
*
Japanese School of Mumbai
, previously , is a Japanese international school located in the Hiranandani Knowledge Park in Powai, Mumbai. The Japanese government funds the school, which is one of two Japanese international schools in India and serves a community of Japanes ...
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
Yomiuri Shimbun
The (lit. ''Reading-selling Newspaper'' or ''Selling by Reading Newspaper'') is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five major newspapers in Japan; the other four are t ...
''. December 12, 2010 (
Heisei
The is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Emeritus Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, ...
Glitter
Glitter is an assortment of small, reflective particles that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles reflect light at different angles, causing the surface to sparkle or shimmer. Glitter is similar to confetti, sparkle ...