Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERMENT POLICICIES IN EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND CULTURE 1994 > PART I Chapter 2 Section 1 2

In a society that is expected to change dramatically in the years ahead, it is important to foster in children the ability to live independently and creatively as individuals. To achieve this, it is necessary to give priority to the fostering of qualities and abilities that enable children to identify issues for themselves and to think, judge, and act independently. Today, as discussed in chapter 1, section 3, efforts are being made under the new Courses of Study to change the underlying direction of education toward an approach based on a new concept of scholastic ability.

Qualities and abilities that enable children to live independently cannot be developed through school education alone, however. They are fostered both by promoting school education based on a new concept of scholastic ability and by providing increased time for children to think, judge, and act in their day-to-day lives, as well as by encouraging children to interact with their families and communities, including people, nature, society, and culture. It is also vital to enable children to accumulate the natural experiences that are needed at each stage of development. School study can then be developed effectively on a foundation of varied out-of-school experiences. The qualities and abilities that children acquire through school education can be reinforced through their application in the family and the community. This also helps to create a foundation for school study, further enhancing the benefits of education.

If we view the overall life patterns of children in modern schools, families, and communities, it is apparent that children today have insufficient opportunities for play and for experience of activities in a natural environment and in everyday life. To enable children to enjoy a richer and wider range of experience in keeping with their own interests and concerns, it is necessary to emphasize hands-on learning in school and to rethink the allocation of time in children' lives to enable them to devote more time to family and community activities. The introduction of the five-day school week is based on these concepts.

The decision to introduce the five-day school week emerged from studies targeted at the solution of problems affecting children' education. The growing shift to the five-day workweek in Japan was seen as a trend that would have a favorable impact in terms of realizing the goals of the switch to the five-day school week.

The shift to a five-day workweek across a growing spectrum of society reflects people' desire not only for reduced working hours but also for greater spiritual richness. This change is naturally leading to an increase in the amount of time that parents and other adults spend with their families and in their communities. In addition to the resulting enhancement of children' education through opportunities to accumulate experience of activities in everyday life and to learn about life in a family environment, the switch to the five-day workweek was also seen as a way to provide increased opportunities for children to accumulate social experience and experience of activities in a natural environment in their communities, with the help and understanding of adults.