Six Students from the Ogawa Seminar Successfully Obtained Master’s Degree

The graduation ceremony of Kobe University’s Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies (GSICS) took place at the Idemitsu Sazo Memorial Rokkodai Auditorium on March 26, 2024. Following two years of an enriching academic journey, six students from the Ogawa Seminar successfully obtained their master’s degrees in economics or international studies from Kobe University.

Following graduation, one graduate will continuously pursue her doctoral studies in the GSICS in April 2024, while the others have already secured remarkable opportunities to work at esteemed institutions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and private organizations.

Below are the names of the six students, along with their degrees and thesis titles:

• Keiko Shimabe (Master of Economics) – An Analysis of Teacher’s Discipline on Pupil’s Academic Performance in Ugandan Primary Education: Case of Wakiso District.
• Masaru Miyauchi (Master of International Studies) – An Analysis of Community Participation in Uganda Primary Education during COVID-19.
• Natsumi Shibata (Master of Economics) – An Analysis of Parental Involvement on Early Childhood Development Outcomes in Lao PDR.
• Rika Sugiura (Master of Economics) – An Analysis of Relationship between Teaching Instruction Time and Students’ Learning Achievement in Primary Schools in Colombia.
• Wakana Hasegawa (Master of International Studies) – An Analysis of Parental Involvement on Learning Achievements in Cambodian Primary Education.
• Yuka Furutani (Master of Economics) – An Analysis of School-based Management on Pupils’ Learning Achievements in Kenyan Primary Education: A Case Study of Urban Kenya.

With the graduation of these six students, the total number of students obtaining master’s degrees under the supervision of Professor Keiichi Ogawa has now reached an astonishing 142, and the number of doctoral graduates is 32. This growing cohort of alumni from the Ogawa Seminar is a cause for celebration among the seminar students and further strengthens the seminar’s continually expanding international alumni network. The Ogawa Seminar extends its felicitations and best wishes to these six students in all their future endeavors.

Authored by Sheikh Rashid Bin Islam (Master’s Student)