Of 121 local governments across the nation, 90% will by Monday have fully resumed classes at schools, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey.
These 109 municipalities will by then have ended implementing specials measures since reopening amid the novel coronavirus epidemic, such as setting separate dates or times for children to come to school. The survey results show that normal school activities are expected to resume in July.
The survey covered 47 prefectural governments, which run high schools, as well as the municipalities of 46 prefectural capitals, five ordinance-designated cities and the 23 wards of Tokyo, which operate elementary and junior high schools.
Iwate Prefecture, where no cases have been reported so far, and its capital Morioka were among the local governments that fully resumed schools on May 7. The move later expanded to those in other parts of the Tohoku region, as well as the Shikoku and Kyushu regions. The number of local governments who took this action reached 61 on June 1.
On the other hand, there were noticeable delays among a group of prefectures designated as on special alert under the declaration of a state of emergency.
While schools in the Kinki region, which includes Osaka and Hyogo prefectures, fully resumed on June 15, the Saitama prefectural government and 12 municipalities in the Tokyo metropolitan area including Nerima and Adachi wards will follow suit on Monday.
The Tokyo metropolitan government and the Kitakyushu municipal government are among the six that are set to fully resume schools on June 29, while four others, including the governments of Yokohama and Shibuya Ward in Tokyo are scheduled to do so on July 1. Meanwhile, the Kanagawa prefectural government said it is considering moving up the scheduled date for fully resuming schools, which is currently set for Aug. 31, while the Chiba prefectural government said it would make a decision based on the number of cases.
"We have not received any reports on infections since June 1 with special measures such as staggered attendance," said a Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education official. "Fully resuming schools means the number of students will double in each classroom. We'll make sure schools will take thorough measures against infections."
When it comes to students who won't attend school due to fear of contracting the virus, the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry has issued an instruction to boards of education nationwide that they should not count such days as absences. This measure is so such students will not face a disadvantage during screenings for entrance examinations.
Thus, how to make up the lessons these children miss has also become an issue.
When the survey asked the 121 local governments about how they have handled such students, with multiple responses allowed, 87 said they deliver assignments and other materials to students' homes directly or by mail and collect them, 43 said they use online methods via schools' websites or other such means, while 36 said they use online teaching materials prepared by the private sector.
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