A long time friend of Yasuko Hasegawa, Dr. Romuald Huszcza, (Prof. of Japanese at Warsaw University), along with the Polish Ambassador to Japan, and Dr. and Mr. Okazaki (both faculty of Japanese at Warsaw University), supported us to start IDCE in Poland.

In June 1991, we sent 200 sets of PCs. The first IDCE seminar was held in Warsaw.
The seminar attendees (teacher-students) were of various backgrounds, from teachers of elementary schools to those of universities. So the seminar had to be individualized.  They were a group of very enthusiastic people; some, who stayed in the same hotel as the IDCE instructors, continued to knock on their doors at night for more questions.  It went well, and, at the closing ceremony, those teacher-students were happily surprised to find what more we could do with those computers: computer graphics with music. Two IDCE instructors showed a Polish flag floating in the air while the Polish anthem was played in the back.

The request for additional support surged from the teacher-students. The governmental officials who were unwilling to carry on the project at first admitted the effect of the project and agreed with application for the support again. (Please see “Episode”)

The second computer course was held at KCG, Japan, in February 1992. Deputy Minister, Dr. Tadeusz Diem, also visited KCG with a group of Polish teacher-students. At this time, the Ministry of National Education and KCG/IDCE signed a “Declaration of Intent,” with the purpose of promoting information technology and cultural exchange through a lasting relationship between the Polish government and KCG/IDCE.

Accomplishment of IDCE in Poland was valued; Japan-Poland Institute of Information Technology was established in the Fall of 1994, in collaboration with the Polish government and the Japanese government. An instructor from KCG/IDCE was sent to Poland as a computer expert by JICA in 1994. (After that, the KCG/IDCE instructor became a full-time teacher of the Institute.)