Japanese Government Policies in Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology 2001 [EDUCATIONAL REFORM Q&A Q5]

QUESTION

I hear that there are both positive and negative aspects of the informatization of education. Please tell me what kinds of measures you are taking in regard to the negative aspects.

Answer

The drawbacks to the informatization of education are said to include the isolation of individuals and the attenuation of human relations, insufficient experience of outdoor activities and social life, the deluge of so-called harmful information, the question of morals and rules of networks and the occurrence of the digital divide. MEXT is taking numerous measures in and outside the school to address these issues.

{1} Promoting information education

Promoting information education aimed at enabling children to independently gather, determine, create and transmit necessary information amid the flood of information, having children learn the influence of informatization on society and people's lives, and developing information literacy with a concern for the necessity of information morals.

{2} Enhancing emotional education and experiential activities

Implementing measures to deepen moral education using experiential activities and enhancing learning that uses volunteer activities and outdoor activities.

{3} Enhancing extracurricular club activities

Promoting the use of local outside instructors for extracurricular club activities, the greening of athletic fields, dispatching of performing arts groups to cultural extracurricular clubs, etc.

{4} Raising the quality of teachers

Preparing and distributing guidebooks that explain the content of instruction on information morals, methods for addressing such issues, etc.

{1} Promoting experiential activities through the National Children's Plan

Providing information about experiential activities for children at the regional level including development of Children's Centers, and providing opportunities for experiential activities for children including the implementation of the Children's Long-term Nature Experience Village.

{2} Performing arts experiences

Bringing out relaxed minds and rich sensitivity in children and youth by having them enjoy and fully experience the outstanding performing arts.

{3} Responding to harmful information

Calling upon related industries, supporting PTA monitoring surveys and implementing surveys on the actual conditions of responses to harmful information surrounding youths.

Furthermore, to prevent and eliminate the digital divide, we are expanding learning opportunities provided by the University of the Air, special training colleges, public halls, etc., for adults in general, including the aged, and actively promoting the development of an environment for IT basic technical courses, which are being carried out as part of the national movement to diffuse IT. In addition, for the purpose of correcting the digital divide taking place on an international scale, we are carrying out IT education assistance in developing countries.


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