High-quality education cannot be expected as long as teachers are worn out due to overwork.
It is necessary to create an environment in which they can concentrate on teaching by providing them with opportunities for refreshment.
As part of the work style reforms at elementary and junior high schools, an increasing number of local governments have adopted a system of closing schools for a period of three days to two weeks. The system aims for teachers to be definitely able to take days off during school summer vacation.
According to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey, 46 of 67 boards of education (nearly 70 percent) in all 47 prefectures and 20 ordinance-designated major cities have incorporated the system in guidelines or plans for improvement of teachers' labor environments.
The school closure days system has been introduced by many ordinance-designated cities, including Kawasaki and Nagoya, since the current school year began in April. In the cases of Akita and Ishikawa prefectures, the system has been introduced for all elementary and junior high schools of their towns, cities and villages.
The labor environment for teachers is severe. Nearly 60 percent of teachers at junior high schools are pressed to do more than 80 hours of overtime work a month, the threshold for determining death from overwork or karoshi.
While children enjoy their summer vacation, many teachers are unable to take days off because they are busy with leading extracurricular activities, attending seminars and preparing for a new semester.
With respect to teachers' jobs, it is difficult to distinguish between regular working hours and overtime. Their awareness of work style reform is said to fall behind that of the private sector. It is essential to expand further such initiatives as setting days for the across-the-board closure of schools.
Gain parent's understanding
In places where the school closure days system has already been implemented, phone calls to the schools are transferred to the relevant boards of education. Although requiring the understanding and cooperation of parents and others, it seems to be possible to introduce school closure days by crafting such clever methods.
There are also increasing cases in which the daily schedule is arranged so that all teachers can finish work at regular times and go home. Such a system has been mentioned in the guidelines and other regulations compiled by 44 boards of education, or more than 60 percent of the total. The progress of work style reform at schools must be received favorably.
However, unless the total work volume itself decreases, there may be cases in which the amount of work teachers bring home increases. How the efficiency of work content can be enhanced is a challenge.
The work style reform for school teachers is urgently called for because it directly affects the quality of education. As long as they are busy doing miscellaneous duties and thus cannot afford to take time out to compile teaching materials and research teaching methods, they cannot provide class lessons that keep the attention and interest of schoolchildren.
It is imperative to carry out measures to prevent overwork, including the utilization of special instructors for extracurricular activities.
The content of teaching has diversified due to such factors as the introduction of English as a required subject at elementary schools. Highly motivated and varied personnel are required more than ever as schoolteachers.
However, the competition rate of recruitment tests for teachers tends to be on the decline. There were more than 10 applicants per opening about two decades ago, but that number had fallen to five by fiscal 2017. This must be evidence that many young people regard schools as "sweatshops."
There is an urgent need to reexamine the work style of schoolteachers and change schools into workplaces where they can tackle jobs with high motivation so as to secure talented human resources.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 8, 2018)
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