With schools across the nation suddenly closed from March to May due to the coronavirus outbreak, unexpected educational disparities have emerged that are causing concern.
"I might be well behind those who have been taught by teachers online," said one male third-year student at a Chiba prefectural high school, which had neither face-to-face nor online classes during that period. He studied for university entrance exams with cram school class videos and reference books. Unable to ask questions, he is not confident his academic ability has improved.
Remote classes via the internet may inevitably become the primary method of instruction during school closures, however, public elementary, junior high and high schools have lagged behind.
According to a survey conducted by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry in April, only 5% of municipalities provided interactive online classes, and only 10% distributed videos of classes recorded by teachers.
Meanwhile, another survey conducted in early April by Morigami Kyoiku Kenkyujyo, an educational research institute in Tokyo, showed that of 224 private junior high and high schools in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures, 63% held online classes.
Even among public schools, Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya High School started offering interactive online classes in April, with the computer terminals and communication environment being prepared by each household. Since May, the school has provided seven classes a day. The gap in learning opportunities that arose while the schools were closed is serious.
In Japan, utilizing information and communication technology in schools is not progressing, as face-to-face teaching is emphasized. According to a survey by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2018, 14% of Japanese high school students used information and communication technologies in national language classes. The figure was the lowest level among OECD member countries, with their average being 45%.
Even now, there are negative comments about remote classes. A principal at a public junior high school said that they have some households without an internet connection. An official at a local government in the northern Kanto region said that school teachers lack the expertise to teach online classes.
According to the ministry, 98% of elementary, junior high and high schools among others have resumed classes as of June 1. However, there is a possibility that schools could be closed again if a second wave of infections breaks out. Unless problems with remote education are rectified immediately, the disparities in learning may be irreversible.
The government earmarked a total of 229.2 billion yen in its first supplementary budget for fiscal 2020 to equip every elementary and junior high school student with one computer device for educational purposes. The cost includes 14.7 billion yen for purchasing mobile routers, which will be lent by local governments to households with no internet access.
Responding to this development, they began rushing to secure equipment. Now, terminals and routers are in short supply. "We don't know when they will be delivered," said a head of the board of education in Hiroshima Prefecture. The bigger the delay in deploying this equipment, the wider the gap between schools and communities will become.
At a briefing for boards of education nationwide on May 11, the chief of the education ministry's media, information and foreign language division said: "This is an unprecedented emergency. It is a big mistake not to do [online classes] only because some households are without communication technology equipment."
To prepare for a feared second wave of infections, all types of devices, including home computers and smartphones, should be used as soon as possible, while considering lending school computers to families in need.
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