Japanese Government Policies in Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology 2001 [EDUCATIONAL REFORM Q&A Q1]

QUESTION

Have you thought of any measures for children's activities on the days they have off from school once the comprehensive five-day school week goes into effect in FY2002?

Answer

With an eye toward implementing the comprehensive five-day school week from FY2002, we are taking actions to create an environment where children are brought up with rich spirits and robustness. In so doing, we are promoting exchanges whereby children interact and engage in activities with friends, family and adults in the community and have places and opportunities for such numerous experiential activities as camps and volunteer activities.

With the catchphrase, "Let's bring up our children in the community," we are implementing measures to enhance numerous experiential activities of children in communities all across Japan over a three-year period from FY1999 to FY2001.

- We are developing a mechanism that provides information on various opportunities for children's activities in the community.

- All over the country we have established Children's Centers that provide parents and children with information on various activities.
- The Children's Broadcasting Station (CBS) uses a communications satellite to broadcast on Saturdays that are holidays from school and other days. CBS provides programming that fosters the hopes and dreams of children, including shows featuring famous athletes who appear on the programs and interact with child viewers.

- We are expanding children's opportunities and creating places for activities and experiences in numerous settings.

- By working with other ministries and agencies, we are creating sites where children can play and have experiential experiences, including at rivers, agricultural waterways and fishing ports. This provides opportunities for regional experiential commercial activities, experiential agricultural activities and experiential forestry activities, as well as otherwise promoting attractive experiential activities for children.
- We provide opportunities for children to experience activities in a natural environment, learn about the environment, etc., by using the homes of farming families, youth hostels and other facilities for long-term (about two-week) stays usually during children's summer vacations.

2. We support a variety of regional experiential activities for children carried out by youth organizations, etc., as well as the cultivation of instructors.

We are cultivating children's autonomy, cooperativeness and independence through regional experiential and reading activities for children carried out by youth organizations, etc. From FY2001, subsidies have been provided for activities aimed at the healthy upbringing of children.

- The leader registration system for experiencing activities in a natural environment was established.

We work with youth organizations and numerous other private organizations to train instructors in the experiences of nature, as they have come to be needed due to the expansion of activities in the natural environment. As well, we support the Council for Outdoor & Nature Experiences, which administers a common registration system for instructors in outdoor activities, and otherwise work to cultivate such instructors.

3. We are developing educational reforms for the purpose of further increasing the number of places and opportunities to carry out activities in a natural environment and the experience of social life for children at school and in the local community.

In order to promote numerous experiential activities for children, the current Diet revised the School Education Law and the Social Education Law. Taking the opportunity provided by the revisions, we will continue to work to develop all across Japan a variety of experiential activities for children, including activities in a natural environment and social service experiences for children at school and in the local community.


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