Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERMENT POLICICIES IN EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND CULTURE 1994 > PART II Chapter 12 Section 1 2

The total area of educational facilities, including school education facilities and social education facilities, has reached a massive 318 million square meters (as of fiscal 1993). Many of these facilities are aging, and repairs, replacement, and maintenance are essential to keep facilities in a safe and appropriate condition, to improve the efficiency of utilization, and to ensure that facility standards are in keeping with contemporary needs. The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture is implementing a number of measures for this purpose.

First, the Ministry is implementing information and education programs concerning the appropriate maintenance of facilities. Children spend much of their lives in school facilities during their years of physical and mental growth. It is therefore essential to maintain a good educational environment at all times. Advice is provided to school establishment authorities in the form of the Guidelines for School Building Maintenance and Management.

Second, the Ministry monitors maintenance conditions in national educational facilities and develops standards to provide a basis for appropriate maintenance procedures as part of its efforts to improve the maintenance of national educational facilities.

Third, the Ministry is implementing measures to prevent emissions of specific chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as part of efforts to protect the ozone layer. Freezers in national educational facilities containing these substances are being replaced or modified on an ongoing basis. In addition, the Ministry is implementing appropriate management procedures for the disposal of CFCs from discarded freezers.

Global environmental problems, such as global warming and the deterioration of the ozone layer, have become major social issues in recent years. In the area of educational facilities, various antipollution measures are being implemented in school facilities in order to respond to the growing need for efforts to protect the environment. These measures include the prevention of atmospheric pollution and noise.

Modern educational facilities must provide a variety of sophisticated systems and comfortable conditions in order to fulfill their role as forums for a wide range of educational activities. Efforts to fulfill these requirements are expected to result in increased consumption of energy. For this reason antipollution measures and other environmental considerations will be an important priority for the development of educational facilities in the future, and it will be necessary to design facilities that minimize the burden on the environment.

In fiscal 1993 the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture collected case studies and information concerning the development of school facilities based on environmental considerations (eco-schools). In fiscal 1994 the Ministry began to conduct research and surveys in preparation for the formulation of technical guidelines for efforts to reduce the burden on the environment through the prevention of pollution, the introduction of energy and resource conservation systems, the effective utilization of energy and resources, recycling, tree planting, and other measures.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture is providing guidance to ensure that when educational facilities are developed adequate provision is made for safety in the event of disasters. The aim is to ensure the safety of schoolchildren and the continuation of educational and research activities and to prevent the spread of damage. Other aspects of the Ministry's disaster-prevention measures for educational facilities include the provision of subsidies for the reconstruction of schools and other facilities and for the implementation of earthquake and volcanic-eruption countermeasures.

The reinforcement of measures to prevent earthquake damage has become an important priority in recent years, especially in regions in which the probability of major earthquakes is high, such as the Tokai region and the southern part of the Kanto region. The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture is advising institutions to enhance their earthquake-proofing efforts, including the evaluation of earthquake resistance and the modification of buildings to reduce their vulnerability to seismic damage.