21 students selected under AFS Intercultural Programmes to learn about Japan

Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], August 20 (ANI): As many as 21 students have been selected under AFS (after foreign service) intercultural3 programmes and will be sent to Japan to learn about the culture over there. 15-year-old Priyanshu, who was selected, said that he learnt Japanese to get the opportunity, and Google and YouTube proved to be helpful.

“There is a student exchange programme that is held by the external ministry of Japan. It works for student exchange and extracurriculars. Based on interviews, students are selected from various schools in India. Students, after getting selected, get placed in families in Japan so that they become familiar with the culture there,” a student named Priyanshu said.

“AFS (after foreign service) intercultural programme is an association with the schools it gets affiliated with; there is a main application form. Once your application gets shortlisted, the interview gets started. There are some criteria, like what you should know about the culture and language. Then they conduct a final round of interviews, after which they call you for a visa and passport. I am going for a 4-month programme. All 21 people will be placed in different places. I will remain a guest student at the school. Knowing Japanese is compulsory. I learnt it online and the biggest platforms, Google and YouTube, proved to be useful,” Priyanshu added.

He stated that out of the 21 students selected, 11 are from India. “This year, 21 students are going. 11 are from India. The rest are from Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar. The Indian students are from different places. Some are from Kolkata, Ahmedabad, and Madhya Pradesh,” Priyanshu highlighted.

Notably, AFS is a non-governmental, non-profit, international, voluntary organisation that renders intercultural learning opportunities to students of the schools with which it has affiliation. The programmes that are run by this organisation help people learn the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create strong cultural ties between countries.