The number of foreign schoolchildren who are unable to fully understand classes taught in Japanese is increasing across the nation. Readiness to receive these children at schools should be enhanced.
There are more than 34,000 schoolchildren with foreign nationality who need Japanese-language instruction, separate from regular classes. The number has increased by a factor of 1.5 over the past decade. This is because the number of foreign workers has been on the rise amid shortages in the nation's workforce.
There are also nearly 10,000 children who need Japanese-language instruction after becoming Japanese citizens through marriage between a foreign parent and a Japanese citizen among other reasons.
According to the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, foreign guardians are not obliged to have their children enrolled at schools, but their children's right to receive an education is guaranteed under an international covenant on human rights.
It can be said that providing an adequate learning environment is a measure needed to be taken from a humanitarian viewpoint.
Japanese language teaching is essential for children to participate smoothly in school life. Unless they understand Japanese, they will struggle to fit in their local communities, which could possibly lead to the children and their guardians becoming isolated.
The education ministry will allocate one teacher for every 18 schoolchildren who need Japanese-language instruction by the 2026 academic year. The ministry will also encourage schools to take such measures as allocating teaching time for Japanese language instruction and other purposes in a separate room in accordance with children's proficiency levels.
Learn from successes
Local governments have yet to take measures to cope with the situation. Even in areas other than those where many foreigners live, there is an increasing number of schools where several foreign students are enrolled, making it difficult to secure instructors. The nationalities of foreign children also have become more diversified, causing not a few schools to struggle with the situation.
It is said that one in every four foreign children who have poor Japanese proficiency is not receiving adequate language instruction at school. It is also problematic that the quality of education significantly differs among different regions.
Iida Kita Icho Elementary School, which is near a large housing complex in Yokohama, has children from 10 countries, including China, the Philippines and Cambodia. About half of the children at the school are foreigners. In cases such as children who have recently come to Japan, individual instruction is provided in a separate room.
Teachers in charge give instructions in basic Japanese, using teaching materials with illustrations. An 11-year-old girl from Vietnam was able to write sentences using kanji characters in little over a year.
These kinds of teaching methods should be spread across the nation through teacher training programs. It is also important to introduce curricula in teacher training courses at universities, under which would-be teachers could systematically learn about teaching the Japanese language.
It is also effective to use people who teach at private-sector Japanese language schools and other institutions as an additional resource from outside.
It will be beneficial if there is an increase in the number of young foreigners who speak Japanese and have an affection for Japan. They could become valuable additions to the workforce for domestic companies.
Japanese children also will have an opportunity to deepen their understanding of different cultures through their classmates.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 27, 2018)
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