The salary system for teachers is said to be a hotbed of prolonged working hours. Swift efforts should be made to improve the situation.
The Central Council for Education, an advisory body for the education, culture, sports, science and technology minister, has started considering a review of the special measures law concerning salaries and other allowances for teachers. The move is aimed at improving teachers' work style. The Liberal Democratic Party's Headquarters for the Revitalization of Education is also promoting discussions on the matter.
The special legislation on teachers' salaries, enforced in 1972, stipulates that an amount equivalent to 4 percent of teachers' base wages be added to their salaries in place of payment for overtime work. This extra amount is equal to an allowance for eight hours of overtime per month. The amount was calculated based on teachers' overtime hours in those days.
The situation facing schools has undergone a huge change. The reconsideration of cram-free education has led to an increase in the content of lessons and teaching hours. When conducting integrated learning and other activities, it takes time and effort to cooperate with local communities and to make necessary preparations. Extracurricular activities weigh heavily on junior high school teachers.
The average working hours of teachers exceed 11 hours on weekdays, 30 to 40 minutes more than 10 years ago. More than 30 percent of elementary school teachers and close to 60 percent of those in junior high school are compelled to work overtime for long periods of time exceeding 80 hours per month, which is deemed as the "death-from-overwork line."
There is no denying that there is a big gap between the reality of teachers' working hours and their salary system.
Although school principals are responsible for curbing teachers' prolonged work, many of them do not even know how many hours teachers are working. It seems that the system, which does not give teachers overtime pay, has led to lax controls on their hours.
Clarify range of duties
Under the current system, the overtime that principals can order teachers to do is limited to such activities as outdoor studies, school events and disaster responses in a state of emergency. It seems to be unreasonable that the system regards extracurricular activities, preparations for lessons and student guidance as "voluntary acts" by teachers.
Teachers' unions have demanded the special measures law be abolished and that an overtime allowance be given in accordance with the length of work done outside regular working hours. However, there is a high hurdle to this. According to a trial calculation, it would require the central government alone to pay more than 300 billion yen annually at a time when it faces a dire fiscal condition.
Discussions at the education council and the LDP are floating the idea of giving teachers holidays for their overtime, with no money paid for such work.
It is worth considering a plan to utilize long school vacations, given that elementary and junior high school students do not come to school during such periods. The number of days teachers must come to work during the summer vacation would be reduced if they frequently worked overtime in the first semester. Through such measures, the number of teachers' working hours can be expected to be reduced, if the situation is looked at on an annual basis.
Still, top priority should be placed on implementing thorough measures to curtail teachers' overtime hours. Efforts should be made to clarify the range of duties to be performed by teachers, and to make use of staff members who assist with their clerical work and external personnel who coach students in extracurricular activities.
It also is effective for the education ministry to set a numerical target for an upper limit on working hours.
Teachers' work style is directly linked to the quality of lessons. It is also important to gain the understanding and cooperation of parental guardians in this endeavor.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 21, 2018)
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