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PART Recent Trends and Developments in Government Policies in Education, Science and Culture

In the context of the recent rapid and drastic changes in the social circumstances surrounding children it has become a national task to develop citizens who have well-rounded personalities and who can cope positively with various changes which will take place in the coming years. It has been pointed out that, along with an increase in nuclear families and in families with one or two children, children today are lacking in basic manners and customs for daily life, as well as desirable human relations, and that children today have not adequately developed a sound moral sense, which would prevent bullying and other types of problem behaviors.

In the revised Course of Study, drastic improvements were attempted in the content of moral education, with the aims of: (l) restructuring the content of moral instruction and concentrating it on the essentials; (2) enriching instruction regarding how to live as a human being; (3) enriching moral education activities throughout the entire school activities; and (4) strengthening links with the family and the community. In 1990 the revised content of moral education began to be put into effect in schools.

With a view to providing a sound base for improving moral education, the Ministry has been taking a variety of measures, including the designation of a certain number of pilot schools, which are to conduct pilot studies concerning moral education. In 1990 in addition to this pilot school program, the Ministry plans to prepare and distribute materials (teachers' guides and video materials) for moral instruction to contribute to the enrichment of the education of this area.