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Summary of the Surveys on Attitude for Compulsory Education

The surveys on attitude for compulsory education cover a broad array of questions. Several key points are Th introduced below.

What to expect from school education
The most frequently heard response from parents or guardians, school councilors, teachers, superintendents, and heads of local governments was, “basic academic ability,” followed by “ability to build human relations,” “willingness to learn independently” and “ability to judge good and evil.”

Whether school is fun
78.9 % of elementary school students and 75 % of lower secondary school students responded that school is fun (a total of “very fun” and “quite fun”).

Evaluation of the Period of Integrated Study
60 % of elementary school students and 46.2 % of lower secondary school students responded that they like it (a total of “like it very much” and “quite like it”). 68.9 % of parents or guardians, 76 % of school councilors, and 80.9 % of superintendents showed positive response to the Period of Integrated Study, responding that it is good (a total of “very good” and “quite good”). Among teachers, 56.6 % of the elementary school teachers gave a positive response as did 43.5 % of the lower secondary school teachers.

Educational reform policies
Overall positive response was high regarding “decrease the number of children in each class,” with over 90 % of teachers, 80.7 % of superintendents, 72.6 % of parents or guardians, 72.4 % of school councilors, and 71.1 % of heads of local governments responding that they agree (a total of “agree” and “just agree”).
Positive response (a total of “agree” and “quite agree”) to revising the “6-3 school system,” for example to a “5-4 school system” tailored to children’s development, was about 10 to 20 % each among parents or guardians, school councilors, teachers, superintendents, and heads of local governments.

Transferring control over faculty to municipal districts
Currently, prefectures control the appointment of faculty. When inquiring with the prefecture and municipal superintendents and heads of local governments, about half of those respondents said that the current system is all right. On the other hand, the larger the municipal population, the more so was the trend for demanding the transfer of control to municipalities exceeding a certain size.