What is FOLENS? | Introduction
“FOLENS,” or the Education Program for Field-Oriented Leaders in Environmental Sectors in Asia and Africa, is a special program for postgraduate students at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT). It offers a curriculum that trains students to serve as leaders with “field-oriented” mind and skill sets to be able to identify environmental issues and to propose effective measures for achieving sustainable development while working in cooperation with local stakeholders in Asia and Africa.
The FOLENS curriculum consists of practical training through field study and/or internships as well as lectures on environment-related natural and social science issues. Students from Japan and abroad, particularly Asia and Africa, will come together to share various viewpoints and nurture an international perspective. All of the classes are conducted in English.
FOLENS students can utilize facilities and resources at the ‘Coordinator Offices’ and ‘Education & Research Bases’ installed in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Ghana, and China. Part of the expenses such as traveling fee for the Overseas Field Training or Internship will be borne by FOLENS.
The principal organization operating the FOLENS program is FOLENS Headquarters, established in TUAT in June 2009. FOLENS Coordinator Offices and Education & Research Bases have been set up in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Ghana.
FOLENS is supported by a Special Coordination Fund for Promoting Science and Technology from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Japan.
