PART Issues and Developments of Policies in Education, Science and Culture
Chapter 1. Promoting Educational Reform
2. Current Status of Educational Reform
(4) Activating Local Education Administration
In promoting educational reform, the role to be played by local
boards of education is very large. Some boards of education, however, are reported
not to be performing their expected functions well. With the recommendation of
the National Council on Educational Reform regarding the activation of boards
of education, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture examined the issue
carefully with advice from people of knowledge and experience, and issued a notification
to all the boards of education in December 1987 which urged positive action on
securing appropriate persons as members of the boards, recruiting a proper superintendent
of education, reflecting the opinions of local residents, and arranging cooperative
administrative mechanisms between small municipalities. And in March 1988, the
Ministry submitted to the Diet a Bill for Partial Amendments of the Law Concerning
the Organization and Functions of Local Educational Administration, which involved
appointments of full-time municipal superintendents of education and the introduction
of terms of office for superintendents of education.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture intends to promote
the activation of local boards of education, by, for example, introducing the
cases of excellent boards of education to serve as models. The Ministry will
continue to examine ways to improve the system and management of boards of education
and to provide them with proper guidance and assistance.
Chapter1 2 (4)
Issues and Developments of Policies in Education, Science and Culture