新入生"9人→29人"に急増！過疎の町で閉校の危機を打開する『3つの秘策』…全国から生徒が集まる高校 最先端の「ドローン授業」にも熱視線 北海道福島町

"Fewer than 10 students for two years in a row." This number carries significant meaning for those involved with Hokkaido Prefectural High Schools. If a prefectural high school's freshman enrollment falls below 10 for two consecutive years, the Hokkaido Board of Education will begin considering merging or closing the school, including suspending admissions. A town and high school are embarking on a notable initiative to keep a high school open, facing closure in the spring of 2023. A high school facing closure "What! You went to Korea?" "Someone from Korea came to visit us." "Can you speak Korean?" "Hello! Thank you!" "It's delicious!" (Both high school girls) The girls chat. The boys play games on their smartphones. High school students in a town in southern Hokkaido leisurely spend their after-school hours in a newly built student dormitory that resembles a resort hotel. What a friendly atmosphere! While this dinner scene looks fun, in fact, their high school was facing a crisis this spring. Fukushima Town, located about an hour and a half by car from Hakodate, Hokkaido, is known for its fishing industry and as the site of the Seikan Tunnel construction base. However, since the tunnel's completion in the late 1980s, its population has been steadily declining. As of the end of August, the population had fallen to about 3,400, a quarter of its peak. Hokkaido Fukushima Commercial High School, the town's only high school, is in danger of going out of business due to a decline in enrollment... "According to Hokkaido's standards, if there are fewer than 10 new students for two consecutive years, recruitment will be suspended two to three years later. With only nine new students for 2023, the school was on the brink of collapse." (Noriyuki Onodera, Superintendent of the Fukushima Town Board of Education) This is Noriyuki Onodera, Superintendent of the Fukushima Town Board of Education. "There's a concern that not just one student, but the entire family will have to move to Hakodate or other places when they start high school. If the high school closes, the town will become increasingly deserted and the population outflow will continue unabated." (Onodera, Superintendent of the Fukushima Town Board of Education) Recovery from the brink of 9 new students However! There are 29 new students in 2024! More than three times the number of students in 2023 came from all over the country! "I'm from Saitama." "I'm from Kyoto." "I'm from Gifu Prefecture." "I'm from Hino City in Tokyo." (All 2024 new students) Three Keys to the Town's Success 1. Comfortable Living Space How did the school overcome the threat of closure? There were three keys to success! If the number of new students falls below 10 for two consecutive years, the school would close... Hokkaido Fukushima Commercial High School, which was on the brink of closure, saw more than three times the number of students in 2023 this spring! An astonishing 29 students enrolled. This was a town-wide effort to bring the school back to life. What are the three keys to its success? "We have a washing machine, a refrigerator, and two dryers on top. This is the shower. This is the bathtub. There's another one in the back," says Nozaki Kohei, a first-year student from Hokuto City. The first key to the school's revival is the construction of a comfortable new living space to welcome students from outside the town! The unexpected number of new students has led to the construction of another building! A hearty, homemade buffet is served in the morning and evening! The break space, modeled after an urban cafe, even has tables with outlets for charging smartphones! The communication lounge, where everyone can gather, is stylishly designed and relaxing! It feels like a resort. All rooms are single! Everything is provided, including air conditioning and Wi-Fi. And rent, which only covers food, is 30,000 yen a month. 2. Cutting-edge Classes The second key to the school's revival is cutting-edge classes. "I chose this school because I saw in a pamphlet that they teach programming," said Towa Tabata, a second-year student from Matsumae Town. Fukushima Commercial High School will introduce digital education classes starting in 2023. Students can learn programming and other skills that will be essential for the workforce of the future. One of those skills is... "Please hover while facing forward." This is a drone piloting qualification. An instructor from Sapporo will teach the basics of piloting. It feels like you're just flying it? Of course not! "The drone's direction of travel and the input direction become the same, making it unstable," said Kohei Nozaki, a first-year student from Hokuto City. The drones used in training are older models from a generation ago. Even a slight change in the air can easily send the drone drifting in unexpected directions. "The drone's correction functions were turned off, so it drifted away. It can be quite ...