Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERNMENT POLICIES IN EDUCATION, SCIENCE, SPORTS AND CULTURE 1996 > Priorities and Prospects for a Lifelong Learning Society Chapter 3 Section 1 2

The recommendations of the April 1996 report of the Lifelong Learning Council relate primarily to the provision of learning opportunities. The enhancement of learning opportunities must be approached from the perspective of supporting individuals' voluntary learning activities. It is extremely important in this context to improve information access and learning-related advisory services. As stated in chapter 2, section 2, the methods used by government agencies to disseminate information include the publication of newsletters. Newspapers and magazines also play an important role. Efforts must be made to ensure that learners in various situations have access to information. These efforts should include the use of a variety of media and of recent advances in information technology.

As was also discussed in chapter 2, section 2, lifelong learning information systems at the prefectural level are being improved, but statistics on utilization indicate that they are not being used to their full potential. A comprehensive approach is needed. Content, including information on private-sector education enterprises, must be improved and information-updating methods enhanced. It is also necessary to facilitate access by improving terminals, expanding learning advice systems, and informing the public. Consideration should also be given to the use of advances in information technology to add moving pictures, sound, and other enhancements to information systems, which currently rely mainly on text.

The report of the Lifelong Learning Council also refers to the need for improvements in such areas as paid education leave and scholarship systems in order to provide support for learning activities. In the area of work-related learning, greater emphasis should be placed on the creation of learning systems and the provision of support for individual workers' self-improvement initiatives. This view reflects the growing importance in recent years of skills that depend on individual attributes, such as creativity, as companies strive to develop new business activities in an environment changed by technological innovation and other factors. Paid education leave systems and subsidy systems should be enhanced and utilized more.

According to the Japan Consumer Information Center's annual report for 1995, there were 20,520 inquiries and complaints about qualification courses, 5,096 about supplementary learning materials, 2,958 about general cultivation and recreational learning materials, and 2,880 about foreign language conversation classes. Inquiries and complaints about qualification courses were the most numerous, accounting for 8.8% of all inquiries and complaints about goods and services. These inquiries and complaints focused on such aspects as sales methods, contracts, cancellation systems, and prices. The number of such inquiries and complaints has been rising in recent years. In the case of foreign language conversation classes, industry organizations are developing their own rules in an effort to ensure that contracts are appropriate. The creation of an environment in which people can approach learning activities with confidence requires the thorough dissemination of these rules. It also requires the development and dissemination of similar rules in other sectors and the provision of accurate information.