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Translator: Kazumi
Editor: Silavin
The day that Floria proclaimed the founding of Razequa Amamiya was designated as the National Day of Remembrance.
As a commemoration of that day, a festival was being held every year in the town of Amamiya Tower.
The tenth year of the festival was a great success.
Kousuke, in disguise so as not to be recognized as a living god, enjoyed the festival with the children.
Towa, the oldest, was old enough to understand why Kousuke was hiding his true identity.
Kousuke was smiling when he asked the other children not to reveal his true identity to anyone.
Though, the sight of him walking around with the children and women in tow was eye-catching in a different way. Kousuke naturally noticed the attention he was getting. Thankfully, he was getting numb to it.
Incidentally, Floria and Sylvia, who were extremely popular among the citizens of Razequa Amamiya, were also in disguises.
Kousuke felt a sense of wonder at this world, where one’s appearance could be accurately known by so many people even when there were no photographs available.
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While Kousuke was going about his daily life like this, a plan was in the works.
That plan, which was being promoted in time for Towa’s tenth birthday, was the establishment of a school. In other words, an educational institution.
Floria and Kousuke had been talking about it since the beginning of the founding of Razequa Amamiya. They had managed to come up with a plan to establish a school in time for Towa.
The greatest obstacle was still the establishment of printing technology. To facilitate education, it would be easier to provide teaching if there were textbooks. Although it was not a must, it was still better to have it available.
Kousuke conveyed the thing he wanted to the engineers, and they somehow managed to build the first printing presses around two years ago.
Incidentally, it was with the establishment of the school in mind that Cecil and Arisa were asked to write books. A task Kousuke initially didn’t expect them to take on.
In the conference room of the Administration Floor, the leading figures of Razequa Amamiya were gathered for a final confirmation regarding the school. The reason why they were discussing it on this floor, was because it would be easier to understand the whole thing if Kousuke was present.
There were few school-like facilities in this world. They were similar to what Kousuke wanted, but they were more like private schools.
It would be fair to say that this would be the first time in this world that a government institution would provide an educational institution. Therefore, Floria wanted Kousuke, who had a better idea of what to expect, to join the discussion.
The participants did not know that Kousuke was a reincarnated person. Though, with Kousuke being a living god, they were not surprised when he already had an in-depth image of the educational institution he wanted.
Razequa Amamiya’s first school, scheduled to open this spring, was already in the process of being finalized. The selection of people had been completed, from securing personnel to play the role of teachers to the staff to manage the facility.
“So? Are we going to get enough students?”
Kousuke asked the most important question.
If there were no students to begin with, it would not qualify as an educational institution.
One of the civil servants who met Floria’s gaze answered Kousuke’s question.
“No problem, since Crown Prince Towa will be entering the school, the children of nobles are eager to enroll. They all seek to form some kind of connection with him.”
“Hmm. I guess that is to be expected.”
Floria tilted her head at Kousuke, who seemed reluctant.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, no, not so much a problem. In my mind, school should be a place where all the kids get together and study.”
If things continue as they were, the school would become more of a place for socializing than an educational institution. Kousuke’s image was limited to modern society, and only to countries that were similar to advanced nations.
In the past, such facilities were used as a place for the children of nobles, who had time to spare, to make more connections.
If an educational institution like the one in modern society were to be established so quickly, with such expectations, the public might not understand its value, and it might hinder its adoption instead.
Floria immediately pointed out these problems.
“You talked about getting all children involved, but it’s impossible at this time to build an institution that can accommodate that many children. We just don’t have enough teachers.”
At Floria’s words, the members there frantically moved their heads up and down.
In the first place, education in this world was mainly provided by tutors hired by those with the funds to do it. Such tutors were often the second or third sons of aristocrats. However, there were not many of them because education itself was considered a special skill.
In short, there won’t be enough of them to educate all the children in the country.
“I am not saying that we are going to suddenly build one for all children in the country.”
As far as Kousuke was concerned, he hoped to be able to educate at least the children living in a fifth tier town.
But to that, Floria shook her head.
“If we only start it there, the other towns would come asking us to start it in their towns as well. I can see us being troubled by those requests next year, if not this year.”
“Then we should have a trial system… Oh, that’s probably no good either.”
Even if they set up an exam system like a university to allow only those who pass the exam to attend, ultimately that too would favor those who have the wealth to hire tutors.
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There would be even more fundamental problems in ensuring that all children receive an education.
“I don’t think parents in places like a farming village would send their children to school in the first place.”
As Floria said, she believed that education was for the role of upper-class families, such as the nobility. There was a wide range of nobility, but that was a different issue.
The main point was, parents of such families may not see the point in sending their children to educational institutions. Instead of having them go to school, they would believe it to be better to let them stay with them and help them with their work.
“I see. Well, I have one good idea about that, but it doesn’t make sense since there aren’t enough schools to begin with.”
“What? What kind of idea?”
At first, they decided to create only one educational institution because of the lack of human resources, but they naturally have a long-term plan to increase the number of schools.
There was some discussion about how to get the children together, but no one had a particularly good idea.
Feeling the eyes of the people around him gathering, Kousuke suggested a little something.
“It’s simple. The school can provide lunch. It would cost money but I think it’s worth a try because it will improve the nutrition the kids can get.”
At Kousuke’s suggestion, the others looked as if they had been struck hollow.
To begin with, these were aristocrats, not people who had ever been in a situation where they could not afford to eat. They knew that the poor could be in such a situation, but they did not feel it to be enough to link education to free food.
One of the reasons they didn’t consider this before was because current fifth tier towns did not have slum-like places. There were always jobs available.
“That is true… But the amount of money that would be involved in executing it…”
“Yes, that’s the main problem. It would certainly cost quite a bit of money. Besides, we plan on charging for admission right now, right?”
In response to Kousuke’s question, Floria nodded.
Education was, to put it bluntly, a profit driven business.
For this reason, the new schools needed to be funded by the parents, mostly in the form of donations.
If that happens, the opinions of the parents would inevitably have an impact on the school.
The school Kousuke wanted would not be influenced by the parents’ views and biases. Though, it was unclear how this ideal would hold up to reality.
“Well, it’s difficult to implement everything out of the blue. For now, we should think in the direction of doing what we can for now.”
In the end, they settled on their usual conclusion, and the meeting for how to open and manage the school came to an end.
It was finalized that the first Razequa Amamiya school was to open in the spring.
