TOKYO: Unusually heavy snow in Japan has been blamed for 30 deaths in the past two weeks, officials said Tuesday, including a 91-year-old woman found under a three-meter pile outside her home.
The central government has deployed troops to help residents in Aomori, the heaviest-hit region where as much as 4.5 meters (15 feet) of snow remains on the ground in remote areas.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held a special cabinet-level meeting on Tuesday morning to instruct ministers to do all they can to prevent deaths and accidents.
A powerful cold air mass has resulted in heavy snow along the Sea of Japan coast in recent weeks, with some areas seeing more than double the usual volumes.
Since January 20 through Tuesday, 30 people have died as a result of the heavy snow, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
Among them was Kina Jin, 91, whose body was found under a pile of snow at her home in Ajigasawa, Aomori, a local police official told AFP on a condition of anonymity.
Police believe snow from her rooftop fell on her. The cause of her death was suffocation, the official said. An aluminum shovel was found next to her body.
“As it gets warmer, the accumulated snow melts and falls. It depends on the volume (of snow) and the temperature. Under the rooftop is a dangerous place,” the official told AFP.
Aomori governor Soichiro Miyashita said on Monday he had asked Japan’s military to offer disaster relief.
He said he asked troops to help the region’s elderly who live alone and need help clearing snow.
Walls of snow as high as 1.8 meters are on the ground of the regional capital of Aomori city, the governor said, adding that local workers clearing snow from roads and houses were overwhelmed.
“The danger of life-threatening incidents, such as fatal accidents due to falling snow from the roofs or collapsing buildings, is imminent,” he said in the press conference.
Death toll from heavy Japan snow hits 30
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Death toll from heavy Japan snow hits 30
- A powerful cold air mass has resulted in heavy snow along the Sea of Japan coast in recent weeks, with some areas seeing more than double the usual volumes
Indian teacher who created hundreds of learning centers wins $1 million Global Teacher Prize
- Nagi is the 10th teacher to win the award, which the foundation began handing out in 2015
DUBAI: An Indian teacher and activist known for creating hundreds of learning centers and painting educational murals across the walls of slums won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize on Thursday.
Rouble Nagi accepted the award at the World Governments Summit in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, an annual event that draws leaders from across the globe.
Her Rouble Nagi Art Foundation has established more than 800 learning centers across India. They aim to have children who never attended school begin to have structured learning. They also teach children already in school.
Nagi also paints murals that teach literacy, science, math and history, among other topics.
The prize is awarded by the Varkey Foundation, whose founder, Sunny Varkey, established the for-profit GEMS Education company that runs dozens of schools in Egypt, Qatar and the UAE.
“Rouble Nagi represents the very best of what teaching can be – courage, creativity, compassion, and an unwavering belief in every child’s potential,” Varkey said in a statement posted to the Global Teacher Prize website. “By bringing education to the most marginalized communities, she has not only changed individual lives, but strengthened families and communities.”
Nagi plans to use the $1 million to build an institute that offers free vocational training.
Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, said Nagi’s prize “reminds us of a simple truth: teachers matter.”
In comments carried on the prize website, Giannini said UNESCO was “honored to join the Global Teacher Prize in celebrating teachers like you, who, through patience, determination, and belief in every learner, help children into school — an act that can change the course of a life.”
Nagi is the 10th teacher to win the award, which the foundation began handing out in 2015.
Past winners of the Global Teacher Prize have included a Kenyan teacher from a remote village who gave away most of his earnings to the poor, a Palestinian primary school teacher who teaches her students about non-violence and a Canadian educator who taught a remote Arctic village of Inuit students. Last year’s winner was Saudi educator Mansour Al-Mansour, who was known for his work with the poor in the kingdom.
GEMS Education, or Global Education Management Systems, is one of the world’s largest private school operators and is believed to be worth billions. Its success has followed that of Dubai, where only private schools offer classes for the children of the foreigners who power its economy.
