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 2 2

As discussed in section 1, government agencies involved in lifelong learning need to respond and adapt to the issues raised by change. Unfortunately, learning opportunities for this purpose are still inadequate, and people have not yet developed sufficient appreciation of them.

Participants in the 1996 MESSC survey were asked to state their conditions for learning about the contemporary issues identified by the Lifelong Learning Council. The most frequent responses were "priority treatment by government agencies," "accommodation of various levels of interest," "provision of information on learning," and "availability of low-cost courses" ( Figure 3.3 ).

The fact that "priority treatment by government agencies" registered the highest score in the survey suggests that participants took account of the fact that many contemporary issues need to be approached as matters of interest to all residents and that both local communities and the nation as a whole benefit significantly from learning achievements in these areas. The same basic notion is reflected in the high score of "availability of low-cost courses." These findings parallel responses to the NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute survey regarding current and desired levels of expenditure in social areas ( chapter 2, section 1, subsection 8 ).

Many respondents to the MESSC survey also chose "accommodation of various levels of interest." This appears to reflect the extreme diversity of levels of interest in today's world and the lack of learning opportunities that reflect this diversity.

Learning about issues does not necessarily need to be approached in a structured, ongoing manner and at advanced levels, but many municipalities are probably experiencing difficulties owing to inadequate program development, shortages of instructors, and other problems. These problems should be tackled through increased coordination and cooperation among municipalities, active support and involvement by prefectural governments and educational institutions, and the use of private-sector education enterprises.

Figure 3.3. Basic Conditions for Widespred Participation in Learning Activities Concerning New Issues: Demand for Active involvement of Government Agencies