Prof. Baba’s Research Project Shortlisted for “THE Awards Asia 2025”

On January 21, Times Higher Education (THE), a British higher education magazine, published the shortlist for “THE Awards Asia 2025”. This awards offer a major international platform to recognise outstanding leadership and institutional performance, and celebrate the continent’s higher education excellence.

From over 500 entries, eight universities were selected as finalists in each category. Among them, the research project “Japan International Cooperation Agency primary mathematics programmes in Africa,”* led by Professor Takuya Baba, International Education Development Program, was shortlisted for the Research Project of the Year: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

This category is the awarded for innovative arts, humanities or social sciences research that has a far-reaching impact and has caught, or has the potential to catch, the imagination of the public. Professor Baba’s paper, which was featured as a background paper in UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report, has been highly praised for its study on the international cooperation for mathematics and science education in Africa, a collaboration between Hiroshima University and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) since the 1990s.

Hiroshima University has been shortlisted for the awards in four categories out of a total of ten categories. The winners will be announced  at the THE Asia Universities Summit in Macau on 22 April 2025.

* The paper discusses that distinct from Western support, Japanese-style international support emphasizes local ownership, and while its effectiveness can be measured financially and via the number of beneficiaries, it will also extend beyond this. Offering aid specifically in the form of teacher education support is a compelling intervention of this project that will capture the public’s attention because it provides sustainable long-term support that will continue to change lives over time. This project will therefore “enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries” as stated in Target 9, Goal 17 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This report reconsiders the nature and meaning of international support through Japan’s efforts.