2 Report of the Social Education Council on Social Education in a Rapidly Changing Society

The Report of the Social Education Council on Social Education in a Rapidly Changing Society was submitted to the Minister of Education on April 30, 1971. In the conclusion, note was taken of the industrialization of society, the advance of communications, the increase in the size of the middle-aged and elderly strata, the concentration of the population in cities, the increasing trend toward nuclear families, and the upward trend in the academic background of the people. As a result of these changes in society, social education is facing new and various issues. Consequently, the following points were made with respect to the direction that social education ought to take up in the future:

a. The expansion of the role of social education. Social education of the future will not be restricted to the limited activity of lectures and classes now associated with the concept. It must be widened to embrace various activities and be conducted at every opportunity and stage in the life of the people.

b. Systematization from the vantage point of lifetime education. It is essential that social education for the future be restructured from the vantage point of lifetime education. With the changes in social structure, the life-styles and values of individuals will become more diverse, and the daily life problems and issues of various age groups will change. More-over the respective roles and burdens of home education, school education, and social education need to be clarified so that these different educational programs can have an organic and cooperative relation.

c. The reform of teaching methods and of the content of education in response to diverse demands. Already the existing program of social education is diverse in its methods and content, but with the upward trend in academic achievement and the growing complexity of social structure social education must be further diversified and its standards raised. For this reason there must be new developments with respect to the nature of participation in social education, the content of instruction, and the medium for instruction. With respect to the content of social education, emphasis will be given to the restoration of humanity, the quest for a life worth living and especially to the upgrading of culture, the realization of physical education and recreation, the advancement of home education and the upgrading of home life, the upgrading of knowledge and skills pertaining to work, the cultivation of asocial consciousness and a spirit of internationalism.

d. Group activities and the promotion of volunteer activities. In order to assist people to enjoy full lives and to raise the level of social consciousness, it is necessary that group activities with respect to social education be more positively promoted. In this context, in addition to promoting the activities of small groups in local areas which have their particular goals, it is necessary top romote the development of regional activities in response to the new circumstance of regional society. It is especially necessary that attention be paid to private voluntary activities.

e. Important points in the administration of social education. Many more leaders and facilities are required if our nation is to achieve a satisfactory program of social education, and thus plans for their rapid expansion need to be drafted. Those branches of the national and local governments concerned with the administration of social education need to reconsider the goals, types, and range of usage of their social education programs in drawing up these new plans. With respect to the leaders of social education, an increase in the administrative personnel for social education and an upgrading in their standards ought to be sought. It is especially vital to encourage more leadership inputs from people who are not employed in government service.