https : // surala.jp

IMPACTPPACTMANAGEMENTREPORT 2020
FY 2020 Activity Report

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To bring transformation to education,
empowerment to children

There are children in this world who do not have adequate access to education
due to various reasons including gap in academic ability, lack of income, and regional disparities.
We provide children with new learning experiences that are tailored to their individual needs.
Through these learning experiences, children acquire true academic skills that can be used fora lifetime and more importantly, realize that “hard work will pay off.”
We will work with schools, cram schools, and other educational institutions
to build new forms of learning to make this happen.

SuRaLa Net Co., Ltd.
4F Toshimaya Building, 1-13-1 Uchikanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
TEL 03-5283-5158 FAX 03-5283-5159

https : // surala.jp/en/

SuRaLa Net Co., Ltd.
May 2021

Greetingssociety. We hope to further enhance our corporate value by identifying the social values that our business has created in addition- Takahiko Yunokawa, Founder & Chief Executive Officer

to economic values such as sales and profit.

SuRaLa Net Co., Ltd. upholds the company philosophy, “To bring transformation to education, empowerment to children” andprovides Surala, an AI-based e-learning system to about 2,200* schools and cram schools in Japan. Overseas, we provide
Surala Ninja! an e-learning system designed to support elementary school students in arithmetic learning. We have continued to
grow by offering solutions to educational challenges, for instance, by providing learning opportunities to children with
developmental or learning disabilities as well as children who refuse to go to school or have economic difficulties. In 2017, wewere listed on TSE Mothers as a representative EdTech startup. * As of the end of December, 2020

Social issues that SuRaLa Net hopes to solve and the pathway to their solutions
The various difficulties that children face today may well affect their future and could even be passed down to their children overgenerations. SuRaLa Net hopes to contribute to breaking this negative cycle and eliminate the disparity that lies ahead. Thisrequires that children become financially independent when they grow up, and we believe there are two ways to make that
happen. One is to enhance the child’ s cognitive abilities including academic skills and the other is to enhance his/her

We recently introduced an impact management practice to logically visualize the social issues we

non-cognitive abilities such as problem-solving skills, cooperativeness, and autonomy. We believe that both cognitive andsolve and the outcomes we are aiming for. We chose school absenteeism, developmental/learning

non-cognitive abilities are born by cultivating a “can-do” feeling, and that self-confidence and successful experiences provide adisabilities, poverty, and poor academic performance as the four social issues of interest andspringboard for developing abilities. We can help children accumulate successful experiences through learning opportunities

assessed both qualitatively and quantitatively the impacts we have made in these fields. Thisequally ensured for all children in compulsory education. Through this approach, we can bring a significant social impact.

challenge of impact assessment was a novel and unique initiative for an IT venture.

Our e-learning system Surala is used in a wide range of scenes including cram schools, schools, and homes. We are aware that

Our aim is to fill the gap in education and solve various related problems by expanding the use ofamong the users, there are children and families faced with various difficulties. SuRaLa Net hopes to support children and

Surala in Japan and overseas, to provide children around the world with opportunities forhigh-quality but low-cost education.

* A logic model is a tool to visualize the theoretical cause-and-effect relationships from business activities to outputs and outcomes.

Takahiko Yunokawa, CEOfamilies experiencing difficulties or issues such as school absenteeism, developmental/learning disabilities, poverty, and poor
academic performance. To verify our approach, we analyzed the impacts we have made on children and families experiencing
different issues and the pathways to creating those impacts and published the results in this impact management report.
First, we will introduce the pathway for correcting disparities. Correction of disparities is the final outcome common in all the

SuRaLa Net and Impact Management

logic models. Children will gain confidence in themselves by accumulating successful experiences through learning(improvement of cognitive ability) and start to take on various challenges (improvement of non-cognitive ability). As a result, they
will be able to think for themselves to choose their own education/career options that they wish to pursue, and thereby will

Company philosophy of SuRaLa Net

become financially independent in the future. We believe that increasing the number of adults who can think for themselves andThere are children in this world who do not have adequate access to education due to various reasons including gap inare financially independent will consequently lead to reducing social disparities.

academic ability, lack of income, and regional disparities. We provide children with new learning experiences that are tailored totheir individual needs. Through these learning experiences, children acquire true academic skills that can be used for a lifetime

We believe that the following four elements of GRIT*, which came to be widely known through a book, are very important forand more importantly, realize that “hard work will pay off.” We will work with schools, cram schools, and other educational

empowering children to live independently when they grow up.

institutions to build new forms of learning to make this happen.

Guts

Impact management
With the rise of awareness for building a sustainable society as represented by ESG and SDGs, private businesses too are now
expected to play their role for the cause. SuRaLa Net has, through its domestic and overseas business activities, been actively

The ability tostand upto difficulties+

Resilience
The ability to
not give up in
the face of failure+

Initiative
The ability to
set one’ s
own goals+

Tenacity
The ability tocarry throughtill the end

addressing Sustainable Development Goals including “No Poverty (Goal 1)” “Good Health and Well-being (Goal 3)” “Quality
Education for All (Goal 4)” and “Gender Equality (Goal 5).” We have decided to introduce the impact management approach tobusiness evaluation to clearly visualize the positive impacts our business has had on society.
Impact management refers to the process by which an organization measures, evaluates and continuously improves the impacts
of its business activities on society and the environment. Specifically speaking, we visualize the desired outcomes of ourbusiness activities and our strategy toward realizing those outcomes. We then monitor the implementation status using a logic
model*. The results are analyzed and used for management decision-making, explanation and reporting to stakeholders, and to
implement the Plan-Do-Check-Action cycle. By implementing impact management and visualizing the pathway to solving
individual social issues, SuRaLa Net has enabled qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the impacts of our business on

01

These four are components of non-cognitive ability which is said to be difficult to quantify but can be acquired after birth.
Surala features grade-free programs that students can learn without being restricted to grade levels, lectures taught by animatedcharacters that are fun to learn even for beginners, and drills for repeatedly learning areas that need more improvement (AI willautomatically judge which areas need improvement). By continuing learning with Surala, children can not only improve their
cognitive ability but also gain perseverance, an important element of the non-cognitive ability for becoming financiallyindependent in the future. We are most delighted if Surala can help in the process.

* “GRIT - The Power of Passion and Perseverance” written by Angela Lee Duckworth from Diamond Inc.

02

Main beneficiaries

CASE

# 01

Schoolabsenteeism

Activities

OutputSystemdevelopment

Surala (for children)C

2. Improved lifestyle
habitsC

3. Child develops
learning habits

Effective Praising
Course (for parents)

PeopleA service to teach parents
how they can betterinteract with their children

Things・B2C sales
・Intervention programsfor school
absenteeism offeredby municipalities-term outcome

4. Child spends
longer timelearning

KPI DATA

Long-term outcomeof absentee children

5. Child starts
to repeatedly
study subjects
that need
improvement

6. Child develops
strength inthings/subjects
he/she enjoys
doing

P

17. Reduced burden
on parents to teachhow to learn

Money
18. Reduced anxiety

about their child’ s
academic performanceP

19. Reduced

mental and timeburden on
parents

First month: approx.
CC

11. Child gains the power
to live his/her own life

9. Improved
academic
performanceleads toself-confidence

C

C

C

10. Child

7. Child’s
learning activity
is counted as
schoolattendance
without physicallygoing to schoolP

20. Changing
awareness ofparents

6.0 hours
12th month: approx. 7.5 hours ( x 1.26 )24th month: approx. 15.3 hours ( x 2.58 )8. Improved academic
performanceC

P

Significant increase in the average
number of learning hours*1 *2

Leads to 1.

C

C

C

Already measured as KPIs /Add as an item for measurement /Outcomes to measure in the future

P ... Parent (s)CC

1. Increased motivation
for learning

Input
Business activities

MediumShort-term outcome

C ... Childreturns to school
and graduates

Number of cases certified to be
counted as school attendance*3

12. Wider range ofopportunities become
available for the child

Surala use cases(certification rate: approx. 70%)

13. Child can choose
a career he/she hopes
to pursueC

21. Changed style ofcommunication fromparents to child

We interviewed parents who participated in our
Effective Praising Course and had them answer ona scale from 1 to 10 what aspects of parenting
improved after they participated in the course. The
results were: “(1) Objectively analyze my child’ s
behavior,” “(2) Recognize and praise what my childis able to do,” and “(3) Became able to understandmy child’ s feelings” were each rated at 7 points on
average; and “(4) Enjoy the time I spend with mychild” was 8 points on average.

C

15. Child becomes
financially independent

14. Child gets a job
he/she hopes to pursue

P C

C

16. Disparity is corrected

P C

22. Improved parent-childrelationship*1. Calculated from learning data of 1,596 absentee users who used thehome learning service from January 2019 to December 2020. *2. Homelearning hours may have been boosted during 2020 due to the impact of
the COVID-19 pandemic. *3. Counted only those cases where it could be
confirmed whether certification had been granted or not during January
2019 to February 2021. *4. Measured on a scale from 1 to 10 the degreeof change between before and after participation in the course. 1 stands
for “no change” and 10 for “significant improvement” compared tobefore participation.

Leads to 2.
P C

23. Child who used tohave an aversion to learning
develops a willingness
to learn
Leads to 1.

Impacts on absentee students and their parents
In Surala, animated characters play the role of the teacher, so it provides a setting where children who have difficulties in eye

132 / 190

COLUMN #1

contact or having a conversation with other people can engage in learning without feeling anxiety. Children who experienced

The timing when absentee students should start using Surala

learning loss for some time can fill the gap by returning to earlier levels with the grade-free programs and efficiently catch up with

There are various reasons why children refuse to go to school. It can be because of human relationships, because they are

the school curriculum using our unique learning system. Moreover, Surala meets the requirements for “e-learning programs”
specified in the “Handling of attendance in student reports when absentee pupils/students engage in learning activities at homeusing information and communication technology (ICT) and other tools”* by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology (MEXT), and therefore learning with Surala can be counted as school attendance.
SuRaLa Net recognizes the importance of good parent-child relationship for solving worries and suffering stemming from school
absenteeism. We have developed a unique course (Effective Praising Course) for parents by incorporating cognitive behavioral therapy

falling behind academically, or any other reason. At first, when they stop attending school regularly, they are torn by a
conflict between reason (I should go to school) and instinct (I don’ t want to go to school) and get caught up in a struggle
with guilt and self-disgust. The parents, too, experience stress.
Forcing the child to learn during this period will not produce positive results. Learning with Surala becomes effective only
when the child has accepted his/her situation and starts showing interest in learning. With Surala, you can start fromanywhere you please and learn at your own pace, so the child can go back to any level suited for him/herself and pick up
again to fill the missed learning gap. Many of the students who started using Surala after they stopped attending school

to deepen parents’ understanding of their children, as a means to support and facilitate parent-child relationship. The child’ s use ofsay, “I studied with Surala regularly during fixed hours of the day.” Because Surala records all the course units and theSurala for home learning leads to reduced teaching burden on the parents and the parents’ participation in Effective Praising Course

problems worked, hours spent learning, and achievement rates against set targets, it can provide close support for theleads to improved relation between the parents and child, which in turn will lead to the child’s improved learning and lifestyle habits.

* MEXT Handling of attendance in student reports when absentee pupils/students engage in learning activities at home using information and communication technology (ICT) and other tools

student and parents as a pacemaker for home learning. SuRaLa Net supports absentee students and parents by offering
the opportunity for suitable learning when the child regains interest for learning and perhaps for returning to school.

https://www.mext.go.jp/content/1422155_001.pdf

0304

Main beneficiaries

CASE

# 02

Developmental/
learning
disabilities

Activities

OutputSystemdevelopment

SuralaC

Business activities

PeopleThings

2. Improved
lifestyle habits

KPI DATA of children with

Long-term outcome

developmental/learning disabilitiesCC

6. (By analyzing thecharacteristics of thechild’ s learning behavior,)
suitable learning
approaches can betaken to accommodate
the individual needs ofthe child to promote
understanding

3. Child can maintain
concentration in learningwith Surala’ s learningmaterial like a gameC

4. Child develops
strength inthings/subjects
he/she enjoys
doing

16. Reduced burden
on parents to teachhow to learn

Money
P

17. Reduced anxiety
about their child’ s
academic performance

5. Child starts
to repeatedly
study subjects
that need
improvement

18. The characteristicsof the child as well as
strengths and weak
points in learning
become clear

KABC-IIC

7. Child’s learning
behavior becomesstable and studies atregular hours

C

10. Child gains the power
to live his/her own lifeCC

8. Improved academic
performanceC

9. Improved academic
performance leads toself-confidence

19. Reduced
mental andtime burden
on parents

Leads to 1.

Surala Study Coach(Analyze the child’s
tendency in learning andlifestyle based on interview
with the parent(s) andpropose an appropriate
learning method)

Impacts on children with developmental / learning disabilities and their parents
Surala is widely introduced at after-school daycare service centers* where children with developmental and learning disabilities
spend after-school hours. There are children with developmental and learning disabilities also among those who stay and learn at
home. When dealing with children with developmental and learning disabilities, it is important to understand the characteristics of
the individual child and present a tailored learning method. With Surala, each child’s learning is analyzed by an AI algorithm toselect questions of the appropriate level and identify areas that need improvement and propose learning plans. For home learning
users, Surala Study Coach will be assigned to support the child’s learning via parents. Surala Study Coach will make proposals toensure a learning environment tailored to the child’s learning habits and characteristics, which will stabilize the child’s motivation forlearning and thus lead to improved academic performance.

Quantity of learning was maintained*1
11. Wider range ofopportunities become
available for the child12. Child can choose
a career he/she hopes
to pursue

21. Changed styleof communication fromparents to child

Changes in what parents could do
before and after participatingin the Effective Praising Course*2
C

14. Child becomes
financially independentC

13. Child gets a job
he/she hopes to pursue

P C

20. Changing
awareness ofparents

5.8 hours
12th month: approx. 5.5 hours
24th month: approx. 6.0 hours

First month: approx.

C

P

P

P

Average number of learning hours

C

P

Already measured as KPIs /Add as an item for measurement /Outcomes to measure in the future-term outcome

P ... Parent (s)C

1. Increased motivation
for learning

Input

MediumShort-term outcome

C ... ChildC

15. Disparity is corrected

P C

22. Improved parent-childrelationshipObjectively analyze
my child’ s behavior ............... Avg. of

7/10 pts.

Recognize and praise
what my child is able to do … Avg. of

7/10 pts.

Became able to understandmy child’ s feelings ................. Avg. of

7/10 pts.

Enjoy the time
I spend with my child .............. Avg. of

8/10 pts.

P C

23. Child who used tohave an aversion tolearning develops awillingness to learn*1. Calculated from learning data of 3,163 users with developmental/
learning disabilities who used the home learning service from January
2019 to December 2020. *2. Measured on a scale from 1 to 10 the
degree of change between before and after participation in the course. 1
stands for “no change” and 10 for “significant improvement” compared
to before participation.

Leads to 1.

COLUMN #2
Why is Surala effective for the learning of children with developmental disabilities
Children with developmental disabilities often have a high level of intelligence but may experience difficulties in school lifeand school curriculum because such children’ s strengths and weaknesses are so prominent that it is difficult to support
them through collective education, or because communication difficulties discourage them from learning. To support thelearning of such children, Surala for early elementary level was jointly developed with Child Developmental Science
Research, an institution specialized in developmental disabilities.
Surala features grade-free programs that children can systematically learn across grade levels. According to research in

By combining KABC-II (a kind of an intelligence test to promote understanding of the child’s characteristics and identify strong andweak areas of academic functioning) and support from Surala Study Coach, parents will be able to understand their child’scharacteristics and provide communication and a learning environment suited for the child. This will instill positive feelings forlearning in the child even if he/she used to have difficulty focusing on learning.

* After-school daycare service center: Facility for providing appropriate and effective training and guidance to children with disabilities according to the physical and mental conditions of thebrain science, memory retention is associated with the ability to retrieve memory using verbal (semantic) cues and/or visualcues, and by using both types of cues, memory can be more easily retained. Surala links textual, vocal, and illustrated
information to facilitate learning. Users can retrieve and use learned information by working on practice problems before
they forget it, which helps the information to be firmly embedded in the brain. With Surala, children can learn in a game-likemanner by engaging various senses (i.e. using sight, hearing, writing, reading and speaking) to boost memory retention andin such a fun way that they can spend hours focused on learning all by themselves.

child and the environment he/she is placed in, so that the child can gain essential life and social skills.

0506

Main beneficiaries

CASE

# 03

Poverty

Activities

OutputSystemdevelopment

SuralaC

Input

Peopleto repeatedly
study subjects
that need
improvement

4. Child gains contact

5. Increased motivation
for learning

T

SuralaUse Guidelines
Already measured as KPIs /Add as an item for measurement /Outcomes to measure in the future

Employ women facing
economic difficulties as

22. Child gains the powerC

strength inthings/subjects
he/she enjoys
doing

C

change makes
parents happierautonomy and disciplineCC

7. Child acquires
autonomy and discipline

8. Child becomes more

KPI DATAC

17. Improved academic
performance leads toself-confidenceC

18. Parents recognize
the importance ofchild’s learning

24. Child can choose
a career he/she hopes
to pursue

CP

25. Child gets a job
he/she hopes to pursue

19. Changing awarenessof parents

P

20. Parents become

supportive of child’s
learningof children in poverty

23. Wider range ofopportunities become
available for the childP

15. Child’s

6. Teacher acquires

to live his/her own life

16. Improved academic

14. Child develops

C

Money

Long-term outcome

C

P

C

with children overseas
and widens his/her
perspective

ContestT ... Teacher

performance

13. Child starts

IT literacy

Grid Calculation

12. Childspends longer
time learningC

3. Child acquiresC-term outcome

P ... Parent (s)C

2. Child can continue tolearn because he/she
can learn at the levelappropriate for him/her

C

・B2C sales
・Regional government
・NPO

ThingsC

1. Child can accesslearning materials
through low costor free service

Business activities

MediumShort-term outcome

C ... ChildC

26. Child becomes
financially independent
C P

T

27. Disparity is corrected

C

Number of overseas users
in poverty

291* *

21. Child’s learning
environment is developed

1 2

Leads to 2.

*1. Counted the number of users who are supported by overseas NPOs
providing learning opportunities to families with economic difficulties.
*2. Number of users as of April 2021. The number is decreasing because
operation of JUKU has been suspended due the impacts of the
COVID-19 pandemic.

focused in learning

T

9. Increased income forthe employed woman

teachers (facilitators)
TT

10. Widened career

options for the employedwoman

11. Improved well-beingof the employed woman
and her family

Impacts on children in poverty and their parents
SuRaLa Net provides learning opportunities to families with economic difficulties through collaboration with Japanese and overseas
NPOs. Learning with Surala and/or Surala Ninja! helps children because our systems allow children to learn at the level appropriate
for each child, which in turn leads to improved academic performance and heightened self-confidence of the child.
Many children from families with economic difficulties have never had access to a personal computer before. Using Surala forlearning can help fill the gap in IT literacy, a factor which often leads to educational disparity. We have seen children in Indonesia
and Sri Lanka, who never had the chance to go abroad, participate in Surala Grid Calculation Contest and be deeply inspired to see

COLUMN #3
Overseas operations of SuRaLa Net
SuRaLa Net has started its operations in developing countries since 2014. In Sri Lanka, we operate Surala JUKU to teacharithmetic to children from low-income families. We also provide underprivileged children with e-learning systems forstudying elementary level arithmetic through SOS Children’ s Village, an NGO that takes care of orphans and domestic
violence victims. While the school enrollment rate is rather high in Sri Lanka at over 90%, the level of teacher competency
varies partly due to the civil war. The situation is that children who cannot receive support outside of schools are left

the wider world through interaction with children from other countries.

neglected as they fall behind in learning.

Parents see the positive change occurring in their child and realize that improvement of academic performance has good

SuRaLa Net believes that a country’ s growth and development depend on whether children of this layer (base of theconsequences. This leads to behavioral change in parents. For instance, parents who used to be unwilling to provide an adequate

pyramid), which comprise the majority of children in developing countries, can acquire basic academic skills or not. The

learning environment for the child grow more supportive of their child’s learning.

results of a demonstration project* conducted at elementary schools that introduced Surala Ninja!, showed dramatic
improvement in calculation test scores and calculation speed.

SuRaLa Net collaborates with Women’s Bank, a local micro financial institution, in the operation of after-school learning facilities in
Sri Lanka and actively hires women from low-income settlements as facilitators to guide children, with an aim to contribute to
reducing disparities suffered by the women, their families, and their community.

07* Report on dissemination and demonstration project to strengthen the math skills of children utilizing e-learning through industry-academia collaboration in the Republic of Indonesia
https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/245/245/245_108_12301180.html

08

Main beneficiaries

CASE

# 04

Poor academic
performance

Activities

OutputSystemdevelopment

SuralaShort-term outcome

in learning with Surala’ slearning material

Input

C

4. Child starts tofeel learning is fun

Grid Calculation
Contest

C

C

C

P

can focus in

3. Child starts to

5. Reduced burden

acquiresautonomy anddiscipline

performance leads toself-confidence

track of the child’ s
progress in learning

T

P

T

8. Teacher can teacheach child individually

19. Parents recognize
the importance ofchild’s learning

6. Parents can keep

9. Improved

20. Changing
awareness of parents

teacher-child relationshipT

10. Teacher gains

autonomy and discipline

Effective Praising
Course25,919 *2C

22. Child’s learning
environment isdeveloped

Leads to 2.
P

23. Changed style ofcommunication fromparents to child

Number of children withpoor academic performanceusing Surala home learning service in JapanC

30. Child becomes
financially independent

2,041 *C P

3

31. Disparity is corrected*1. Obtained by multiplying 24,866 (the number of users with an ID as ofDecember 2020) with 35.8% (the percentage of students who scored astandard deviation of 40 or less in Surala Academic Achievement Test
within a month after entering the cram school.) (The Achievement Test
was only implemented for a limited period.) *2. Counted the number ofstudents who are members of schools with a standard deviation of 40 orless from among users with an ID as of March 2021, based on
information published on the Internet. *3. Counted the number ofstudents who selected “supplementary learning to catch up in school” asthe purpose of using Surala and started learning from a level lower than
the actual grade of the student, from among users with an ID as ofDecember 2020.

P

24. Improved
parent-child relationship

SuralaUse Guidelines

Number of children withpoor academic performancein schools in Japan using Surala

28. Child can choose
a career he/she hopes
to pursue

he/she hopes to pursue

18. Improved academicP1

29. Child gets a job

Ctime burden on parents

8,939 *

27. Wider range ofopportunities becomeC

performance

13. Child

7. Reduced mental andPC

he/she enjoys doing

17. Improved academic

CP

21. Parents

becomesupportive ofchild’s learningP

25. Child who used
to have an aversion tolearning develops awillingness to learn
Leads to 1.

Impacts on students with poor academic performance and their parents
Many Surala learners who start using Surala at schools or cram schools or for home learning have poor academic performance.
However, programs featuring animated characters played by famous voice actors, learning experience utilizing gamification, andpoor academic performance

available for the child

C

P

Already measured as KPIs /Add as an item for measurement /Outcomes to measure in the futureC

16. Child develops
strength in things/subjects

learning

on parents to teachhow to learn

Money

15. Child starts torepeatedly study subjects

C

12. Childreally understandwhat he/she is learning

ThingsC

that need improvement

at the level appropriate
for him/her

Peopleto live his/her own life

2. Child can learn

KPI DATA of children with

Number of children withpoor academic performancein cram schools in Japan using Surala

26. Child gains the power

develops

learning habits

T ... Teacher

C

14. Child spends
longer time learning

11. Child

P ... Parent (s)Long-term outcome

CC

like a gameBusiness activities

Medium-term outcome

C

1. Child can engage

C ... Child

COLUMN #4
Japanese style education and Surala Ninja!

adaptive learning to suit individual learner needs make it easier for children to understand the contents and continue learning with

When introducing Surala Ninja! in countries including Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines, we always take several days

fun. When the child develops a learning habit and realizes improvement in academic performance, the child will gainto provide training to the teachers (facilitators). In the training, we present case examples to show what can be done using

self-confidence and become more motivated in various activities beyond just studies.

Surala Ninja! and how children can make best use of it. We also make sure to take time for the facilitators to work with

Similar effects are observed in overseas cases, too. The learning material of Surala Ninja! is designed not only to capture theinterest of children who have a liking for Japanese animation and games, but also so that children can work independently from themost basic level of conceptual understanding, such as counting numbers. Surala Ninja! also has a positive effect on the teachers. It
is difficult for teachers to teach the class to accommodate the different levels of understanding of individual students, where thenumber of students in a class is large. Introduction of Surala Ninja! enables teachers to spend more time with students that require

Surala Ninja! themselves and then think together how the class should be managed.
We introduce examples of Japanese practice such as handwashing before class, entering and exiting the classroom, andgreetings to start and end class, and then discuss together how the local school would want to operate the class. Habits
taken for granted in Japanese schools including exchange of greetings, tidying up the environment, and handwashing are
not necessarily common in schools of developing countries. Handwashing has been welcomed as being beneficial for
preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Keeping an orderly environment is also appreciated by both parents andextra support. When Surala Ninja! is introduced at overseas schools, teachers are asked to operate the class in line with guidelines

teachers as the first step to autonomous learning. The attitudes of showing respect and appreciation for the learning

provided by SuRaLa Net. These guidelines include elements such as Japanese-style manners and discipline. By running the classenvironment and engaging in learning with sincerity are also developed through the Surala Ninja! programs. These activities

according to the guidelines, children will develop disciplined habits, which establish a sound rhythm and environment conducive toare highly recognized in the international community as Japanese style education.

focusing on children’s learning.

09

10

COLUMN #5
Relation between school absenteeism and future earnings
The number of absentee students in Japan is on the increase. According to a survey by MEXT*, the number of students

Outcome indicators● Already being measured

who do not attend elementary or junior high schools in Japan is 181,272, accounting for 1.9%—a record high percentage—〇 Newly add as an item for measurement− NoneAbsenteeDevelopmental
disability

PovertyPoor
academic
performance

Measurement of KPIs

Outcomeof the total number of students.

◇ Hope to measure in the futureChild can access learning system/material# of active users

ー

ー

〇

ー

and thus with income disparity. MEXT conducted a survey** in 2011 to understand the subsequent living conditions ofChild’ s lifestyle habits improve

Questionnaire for parents

〇

〇

ー

ー

absentee students. Among the roughly 1,600 survey subjects who did not attend school when they were in the 9th grade inChild starts to feel learning is fun

Questionnaire for children

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Child develops learning habits# of days the user logged in out of 30 days

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Conditions*** (75.4% of men and 53.8% of women with a high school diploma were regularly employed), indicating thatChild spends longer time learning# of hours spent learning with Surala

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school absenteeism has affected future employment.

Child can maintain concentration in learning

Hours logged into Surala

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With the adoption of the MEXT policy that absentee students who are socially withdrawn and do not have access to

Suitable learning approaches for each child

Questionnaire for parents

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sufficient support but are learning at home using e-learning programs can be treated as attending school, many

Stable learning behavior & regular-hour studies# of learning hours with Surala, log-in frequency

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Child’ s academic performance improves

Scores in Surala academic achievement test

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Improved performance leads to the child’s self-confidence

Questionnaire for parents

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Learning activity is counted as school attendance

Questionnaire for parents about school attendance

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Child can choose a career he/she hopes to pursue

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Child can get a job he/she hopes to pursue

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Child returns to school and graduates

Questionnaire for parents regarding graduation

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Parents’ awareness changes

Questionnaire for parents

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Communication style from parents to child changes

Questionnaire for parents

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Parent-child relationship improves

Questionnaire for parents

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Child develops a willingness to learn

Questionnaire for parents

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Child’ s change makes parents happier

Questionnaire for parents

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Child becomes more focused in learning

Questionnaire for parents

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Child acquires autonomy and discipline

Questionnaire for teachers

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more inclined to have academic performance problems. Household income and academic performance of the child show a

Teacher’ s income increases (overseas)

Changes in the teacher’ s income

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proportional relation, especially in the core academic subjects. The survey shows that the lower the household income theCareer options for the employed woman widens (overseas)

Questionnaire for teachers

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Questionnaire for teachers

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Recent survey reports indicate that school absenteeism is associated with non-employment or non-regular employment,

2006, 53.4% were employed and only 9.3% were regularly employed 5 years later in 2011 (when the subjects were around20 years of age). These figures are extremely lower than the results of the 2016 Comprehensive Survey of Living

home-learning students are now being counted as attending school.
Surala meets the requirements of an e-learning program that can be treated as equivalent to school attendance. SuRaLa Net
supports absentee students and their parents by offering the opportunity to learn with Surala to develop academic skills,
perseverance, and self-confidence, and thereby widen their career options and choose a career/job that they wish to pursue.

* FY2019 MEXT survey on various problems in student guidance including problematic behavior and absenteeism https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20201015-mext_jidou02-100002753_01.pdf** 2014 MEXT survey on school absenteeism https://www.mext.go.jp/component/a_menu/education/detail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2014/08/04/1349956_05.pdf*** Graphical Review of Japanese Households from the 2016 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), 2018https://www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/list/dl/20-21-h28_rev2.pdf

COLUMN #6
Relation between household income and motivation for learning
The results of the FY2013 National Assessment of Academic Ability (detailed survey)* conducted by the National Institutefor Educational Policy Research reveal that children from households receiving financial assistance for school expenses arelower the correct answer rate in Japanese and arithmetic. In both the 6th grade and 9th grade, a statistically significant
association was observed between the child’ s academic performance in Japanese and arithmetic (math) and household

Well-being of the employed woman & her family improves(overseas)

income.
A correlation has also been proved between welfare public assistance and low academic performance from a local

Ratio certified for treatment
as school attendance

government survey**. Children from low-income households hardly spend time for home learning and tend to havedifficulties in academic performance. This makes it difficult for such children to aspire to a successful career, leading to
reduced motivation for learning. Children from families with economic difficulties including those receiving welfare public

approx.

assistance are facing problems not only in academic performance but also in terms of motivation.
SuRaLa Net provides Surala to families with economic difficulties through collaboration with local governments and NPOs.

INFOGRAPHICS

70%(132 cases out of 190)

2.58 times(by the 24th month)

Increase in the averagelearning hours of absentee children

When children gain low-cost or free access to learning systems, even those children who used to be reluctant about
learning will be able to continue learning and improve their academic skills. We believe that once they acquire a “can-do”
attitude through accumulation of small successful experiences, they will be able to overcome problems with motivation.

*

National Institute for Educational Policy Research, FY2013 National Assessment of Academic Ability (detailed survey)

https://www.nier.go.jp/13chousakekkahoukoku/kannren_chousa/hogosya_chousa.html** Chiba Prefecture Verification and Improvement Committee, Analysis report on the results of the FY2007 National Assessment of Academic Ability (2008)

291
Number of overseas
Surala users in poverty

36,863# of students with poor academic
performance using Surala in Japan

http://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/kyouiku/shidou/gakuryoku/joukyou/h19-02.html

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I can now recognize and praise
what my child is able to do.

Voices from beneficiaries

Editor’ s note

- Yuki Furuko, Chief Financial Officer

The distinct feature of SuRaLa Net is that our core business, which is to develop and offer e-learning systems and programs,
directly link to solving social issues. Conventionally, non-profit organizations have played the central role in solving social issues

Absentee childand for-profit businesses have tried to solve social issues through CSR activities, but we do not fit into either of these models.

Pathway for my daughter to admission to high school after becoming
unable to attend junior high because of being an HSP*

– Parent of G (10th grade)

My daughter suddenly stopped going to school after summer vacation was over in her 7th grade. We searched for homelearning programs and found Surala. My daughter and I were going through difficult times, but we were supported by theencouraging mails we received from the Surala Coach. By printing and submitting the Surala learning management
screen to school, her learning activity was recognized as school attendance. The number of days absent from school

We tackle social issues through our core business activity.
Through the process of assessing both qualitatively and quantitatively the impacts we have made in the four social issues ofschool absenteeism, developmental/learning disabilities, poverty, and poor academic performance, we gained conviction that we
can continue to contribute to solving these social issues.

was recorded “zero” on the diploma she received upon her graduation. Surala was the only learning material she used

We will continue to introduce our activities to a wide audience by conducting and publishing the results of stationary

but she was admitted to the high school she wanted to enter. Now she is enjoying her school life taking part in club andmeasurements.

student-body activities.

* HSP: Highly Sensitive Person. A person with an innate trait of high sensitivity to visual, auditory or other sensory stimuli and a highemotional sensitivity.

empowerment to childrenChild with developmental or learning disabilities #1

Boy in the gray zone improved his English score by 17 points!
Gradually building his basic academic skills

us
AbouTot bringtransformation to education,– Parent of Y (8th grade)

My son took a developmental screening test when he was in elementary school because hehad difficulties in writing and communicating. It turned out that he was in the gray zone. He

Surala is a dialogue-based animated learning program developed by applying gamification.
Research for the development of Surala was started in 2005, as a joint projectwith famous instructors in the subjects of English, Japanese, and math as well asuniversity professors with expertise in e-learning research.

tried cram schools and other home study programs, but he couldn’ t catch up because he

It was rapidly adopted across the country as an innovative program different from conventional video-based e-learning

didn’ t have the chance to review the course units learned in the past. Just when he wasor workbook-type e-learning programs, and in 2012, won the MEXT Minister’ s Prize of Japan e-Learning Awards,

getting frustrated, we found Surala. Now, he is studying according to a study plan his
Surala Coach designed for him. He can study at his own pace and review his weak areas
as many times as he wants. I think Surala is very helpful for children who have difficulty
retaining their memory.

one of the most prestigious awards in the education sector.
SuRaLa Net Co., Ltd. is a company that conducts research, planning, and sales of Surala and
Surala-related products and provides consulting services for utilizing Surala at schools and cram schools.
Company nameDate of incorporation
Address

Child with developmental or learning disabilities #2

Head officeOsaka satellite office– Parent of I (10th grade)

My son has an ADHD tendency and has trouble trying to study by himself at home.

2F, Hankyu Five Annex Building, 1-12, Kakuda-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka City
Contact information

Friendly and concise explanations given by animated characters and the game-likeelements of Surala seem to have made learning more accessible to my son. In addition,
his Surala Coach prepared a tailored learning plan for him to make it clear what needs
to be done every day. You can also check on the screen what percentage of work has

Capital stockBusiness description

been completed for the day, which helps you gain a prospect of your progress. Thanks
to such support, my son became able to focus on studying for a certain length of time
and was successfully admitted to the high school he wanted to go to.

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August 29, 2008

4F, Toshimaya Building, 1-13-1, Uchikanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Overcame disruption of focus characteristic
to ADHD and admitted to high school!

SuRaLa Net Co., Ltd.

TEL

03-5283-5158

FAX

03-5283-5159

283,777,000 yen
Provision of e-learning education services and related operational consulting services
Provision of marketing and promotion services including website operation

Websitehttps : // surala.jp/en/

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