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

In 1990 there were approximately 15,000 kindergartens throughout the country, and about 2,040,000 children were enrolled therein. The proportion of children enrolled in kindergartens was about 64% for five-year olds, about 56% for four-year olds and about 18% for three-year olds. There are, however, geographical gaps in the level of development of kindergartens: no kindergartens exist in one-third of all the municipalities. It is necessary to promote the further development of kindergartens.

With regard to the improvement of the conditions of educational circumstances for kindergartens, in 1990 the Ministry amended statutory provisions so that it may subsidize a part of building expenditures of kindergartens for the construction of additional facilities needed to reduce the size of classes to not more than 35.

The revised Course of Study for Kindergartens was put into effect in April 1990.In order to make all kindergarten teachers well informed of the objectives of the revised curriculum, the Ministry plans to organize lecture courses and to prepare various guides for kindergarten teachers.