Bold proposals needed on education reform

The Education Rebuilding Council--a key organ established by the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to promote education reform--has begun discussions.

The 17-member council is tasked with deliberating specific ways to accomplish Abe's oft-stated goal of revitalizing the state-run education system to provide all children with the opportunities to develop higher scholastic ability and proper respect for social norms. The blue-ribbon panel has said it will submit proposals reached through consensus one by one.

The new council is the first of its kind to be created under the direct control of the prime minister since the establishment of the National Commission on Educational Reform in 2000.

The latter panel was launched by then Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and operated until his successor, Yoshiro Mori, quit in April 2001. The commission on education reform was preceded by the Provisional Council on Education, which came into being in 1984, when Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone was in office.

Abe should take the initiative in making tangible progress in revitalizing the education system.

There are concerns that proposals to be advanced by the new panel may contradict the measures implemented for similar purposes by the Education, Science and Technology Ministry and submitted by the Central Council for Education, a key advisory body to the ministry.
===
Fresh ideas needed

After receiving proposals from the Central Council for Education, the ministry has already started devising measures to require teachers to periodically renew their licenses. This is also true with another proposal issued by the council to adopt a system in which primary, middle and high schools are assessed by independent organs--not by themselves, as in the past--concerning their teaching programs and school administration. In September, the ministry started the system at 124 public schools on a trial basis.

The education ministry and the two separate panels on education reform reportedly have agreed on which roles should be fulfilled by which organ. The Education Rebuilding Council is charged with laying down an overall framework for education reform and setting basic goals.

Meanwhile, the ministry and its Central Council for Education are responsible for discussing specific ways to attain such targets. It is necessary to coordinate the opinions and proposals advanced by each organ in preventing any confusion from arising among their respective tasks.

It should be noted, however, that many members of the public hope to see the new panel come up with proposals distinct in nature from those usually submitted by government organs. We feel it may be impossible for the council to achieve its goal if it stands by the framework laid down for a similar purpose in the past. In that event, the panel would be criticized as having failed to live up to the expectations of the public.

The list of possible topics to be addressed by the council includes the adoption of a system designed to issue all families coupons called education vouchers for their children to attend schools of their choice, as well as a system in which a new semester at colleges and universities would start in September. Another topic would concern whether to require students to engage in volunteer activities.
===
Implement proposals quickly

The education voucher system could help invigorate the public education system through competition among schools in attracting children. However, critics say the system could widen the disparity in popularity among schools, even forcing some schools to shut down.

The industrial and educational circles remain cautious about starting a new semester in September. The pros and cons of introducing the system were discussed by the Provisional Council on Education and the National Commission on Educational Reform. However, the proposal has not been widely accepted by the public. This is also true with a proposal to obligate students to engage in volunteer work. During its discussion, the commission decided the proposal should not be carried out.

How to halt the decline in the scholastic ability of children will be an issue that the new panel must not fail to address. Topics related to that problem include how to increase the number of class hours to make up for a large cut in such hours made following calls for the introduction of "stress-free" education. The panel should also assess the current five-day school week at public schools.

We hope the new council's 17 members will conduct constructive discussions by closely looking at how the education system works and what teachers and students need. The government should waste no time implementing proposals to be submitted by the panel.

We also hope many people will discuss education reform, spurred by debates at the council.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 12, 2006)
(Oct. 12, 2006)

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/editorial/20061012TDY04005.htm