9 The Development of Social Education

The development of the administration and content of social education during the past twenty years has had an ever closer relation to postwar changes in Japanese society than have the changes in other educational fields. Growth in this area was particularly pronounced from the second half of the 1950s in conjunction with the rapid expansion of the economy and technology and the adaptation of society to the so-called "age of information." Social phenomena of the times included increased economic opportunities in the cities, a move toward nuclear families and hence the concentration of the younger generation in urban areas with profound consequence for both village and city life; an increased percentage of the population enrolled in upper secondary schools and universities resulting in the upgrading of the educational level of the population; a greater proportion of the population being comprised of middle and old-age persons; and the expansion of leisure time. Given the far-reaching nature of such social changes, the field of social education also had to revise and enlarge the contents and methods of the service it provided in order to adapt to the needs of the various age groups and life-styles. The changes which occurred in group action and in the facilities available for social education during this period are indeed remarkable.

From an administrative standpoint, much of the later development in the field of social education was made possible by a revision of the Social Education Law, which was promulgated on April 30, 1959, and put in force on that day. This revision included 1) making it obligatory for cities, towns, and villages to appoint social education supervisors (shakai kyoiku shuji) and increasing the variety of institutions recognized as to offer appropriate training for them; 2) repeal of the prohibition against the expenditure of public funds on private organizations devoted to social education activities; 3) establishment of an official standard for citizens' public halls; and 4) encouragement of additional services on the part of social education committeemen (shakai kyoiku iin) at cities, towns, and villages. The first and fourth of these measures enhanced the development of direct participation of local inhabitants in social education activities. The second measure sidestepped the long-standing argument over the relationship between social education and Article 89 of the Constitution of Japan and paved the way for active movements by groups concerned with social education. The third measure not only regulated the construction of' citizens' public halls, but laid the foundation for the improvement and enrichment of other facilities related to social education as well.

Later stages of development in this field included the establishment in July, 1965, of the National Training Institute for Social Education to institute a formal training system for5ociaI education supervisors and group leaders. A substantial increase in the funds available for citizens' public halls since1971 has stimulated them as community centers. Libraries and museums have also been promoted in the 1970s. Another important development in this field was the inauguration in1966, in some prefectures, of a program of teachers being appointed as prefectural administrative officials and assigned on a temporary basis as social education supervisors for cities, towns, or villages. It contributed to enliven the personnel structure of social education and to solidify the relationship between the school systems and social education.

The voluntary formation of youth classes had been a popular activity especially in farming villages during the early l950s.However with the increasing migration of youths to the cities, the popularity of youth classes peaked in 1955 and waned sharply thereafter despite the supportive legislation of the Law for the Promotion of Youth Classes which was promulgated on August 14, 1953, and put in force on that day. Similarly; local youth groups, which had played a central role among organizations of the younger generation in the immediate postwar period, were on the decline after the mi4fifties. The establishment of the National Central Youth Center in April, 1959, pointed the way toward a new type of social training more appropriate for the times. The youth center5served as a substitute for the old system of youth education which had been overly dependent on youth classes and other organizations. Another development was the opening of nature centers for children in 1970 by some local public bodies with the financial assistance from the national government. These centers were designed as a means of promoting the sound development of boys and girls living in highly urbanized areas. Group living, especially amidst natural surroundings, was highly evaluated as a means of cultivating the spirit and attitudes of discipline and service.

Social education after the mid fifties toward the first half of the 1960s also began to place more emphasis on adult education. While social education had heretofore been strongly oriented toward ,youths and women, changing life-styles were creating a demand for a more varied adult education program. Consequently, a number of adult education programs were prepared reflecting a range of alms, content, and methods. In the future it is anticipated that the universities will broaden their missions toward lifelong education and become more accessible to the general public.

The role which the home should properly play in education was thrown into confusion by the social instability of the immediate postwar years. With the stabilization of new social patterns in the early 1960s, interest in home education was revived especially among women. The Ministry of Education responded to this interest by adding courses on home education to the adult education programs.

Audio-visual education has also made great strides in the service of social education. The inauguration of television broadcasting in 1953 opened a new era. Within ten years 75.9%of all households possessed television sets. In 1959, it was prescribed in a revision of the Broadcast Law that educational and cultural programs should be included in the broadcasting of every radio and television network.

A second mode of social education which has expanded rapidly since the second half of the l950s is correspondence courses. The Ministry of Education actively promoted social education via correspondence by formally authorizing the program and establishing regulations to govern its practice. The resulting improvements in the educational content, teaching methods, and business managements led to both qualitative and quantitative advances; between 1955 and 1970the number of authorized correspondence centers rose from twelve to 42 the number of courses offered from 37 to 147,and the number of participants from 154,187 to 624,794.

The rapid advance of social education during this period can be attributed to both the increased demand for continuing education on the one hand and active government support for the improvement of the contents,' methods, facilities, and teaching staff on the other. In a report, submitted to the Minister of Education in April,1971, by the Social Education Council on future directions for social education in an era of rapid social change, it was recommended that social education should be built around the principle of lifelong education.