Elementary school students in 29 communities across Japan will receive community-run foreign language lessons outside of school, Education Ministry officials said.
The pilot project, mainly for schoolchildren aged 9 to 12, will hire local foreign students, language teachers and Japanese who have worked overseas to teach such languages as English, Korean, Chinese and Russian, the officials said on Monday.
The lessons -- organized by a task force comprising members of local boards of education, parent-teacher associations and experts in foreign language education -- will be held at community centers or vacant classrooms in 25 prefectures. Classes will start as early as late May, the officials said.