Reduce the educational cost burden at home in order to achieve equal opportunity in education so that children do not have to give up enrollment in further education due to economic conditions at home and geographical conditions, and provide tailored support for learning for children from early childhood and lower grades in elementary schools and thereby build a safety net.
（Measurement Indicators） |
○ Economic support for increasing access to education and reducing the educational cost burden
- Reduce educational cost burden so that every child can have hope for the future and make efforts towards their dream regardless of economic conditions at home.
- Concerning early childhood education, aim to thoroughly implement measures for free-tuition for kindergartens, nurseries, and centers for early childhood education and care for all children between the ages of three and five from October 2019.
- Concerning education costs for compulsory education, secure appropriate opportunities for education through free tuition for national and public schools and free textbooks for national, public and private schools, as well as the continued implementation of financial support to lower-income households. In addition, promote surveys and research related to support for students who go to private elementary schools and lower secondary schools.
- Concerning education costs related to the upper secondary education stage, support tuition for upper secondary schools, etc. by providing school enrollment subsidies for upper secondary schools, etc. and reduce the burden by the use of High School Supplemental Scholarship Fund concerning education costs outside tuition for low-income households. - Regarding the realization of substantive free education at private high schools for households with annual income of less than 5.9 million yen （upgrading and expansion of the current High School Tuition Support Fund）, the government will first secure the revenue source that can be appropriated by the revision of the current system and the budget through the change in the use of consumption tax. - Then, by FY2020 after the change in the use of consumption tax revenue, while the government overall is securing a stable revenue source continuously including the revenue source to be appropriated for the current system on normalized fiscal year basis, the government will realize substantive free education at private high schools targeted for households with annual income less than 5.9 million yen from the standpoint of providing a wide range of educational opportunities for children despite their family financial conditions.
- Concerning education costs related to the higher education stage, expand reductions or waivers of tuition and enrollment fees and drastically increase the payment amount of grant-type scholarships in order to achieve tuition-free higher education only for children who really need the support from April 2020, in addition to interest-free scholarship loans for all applicants who meet loan qualification. In addition, examine equal opportunities for access in middle-income groups in reference to overseas cases, such as HECS(*1), etc. as well as university reforms and improvement of the quality of education and research.
○ Secure academic abilities and support enrollment in school education, and strengthen collaboration with welfare-related institutions, etc.
- In order to engage in activities, such as achievement-based teaching, supplemental learning, etc. in small groups so that the academic abilities of children who go to school are secured regardless of the home environment and community where they live, enhance the school teaching system, promote tailored teaching, and conduct survey and research of the analysis method of the relationship between socioeconomic conditions at home and academic abilities and the school enrollment rate in reference to the National Assessment of Academic Ability, etc.
- Promote assignment of school counselors who have advanced professional knowledge of the psychology of students in elementary schools and lower and upper secondary schools. In addition, in order to lead children, etc. from poor families into livelihood support and the welfare system at an early stage by setting schools as contact windows, promote the assignment of school social workers to local governments, establish a system where they can be used at the necessary schools, and strengthen collaboration between welfare departments and the boards of education, school, etc.
- Promote activities to prevent dropouts in upper secondary schools and promote the establishment of inter-university networks for support assistants for students who have troubles at universities, etc., and thereby implement career counseling and support for continuing learning.
○ Use educational resources in the community
- Promote support for learning through cooperation, etc. with community residents throughout Japan for lower and upper secondary school students whose learning tends to be delayed, such as those cases where learning at home is difficult due to economic reasons and home conditions.
- Promote effective support, etc. for each issue through activities to establish reading habits by using social education facilities in order to eliminate educational gaps, activities to handle issues by consultation or by visit-type support for education at home by home education support team, etc., and thereby disseminate outcomes.
○ Promote school lunches and Shokuiku （dietary education） [partially re-posted]
- Based on the objectives of the School Lunch Act, promote dissemination and enhancement of school lunch and Shokuiku （dietary education）, and strive to maintain and increase fitness by appropriate nutrition intake.
○ Provide support for the enrollment of students in elementary schools and lower and upper secondary schools in remote areas or depopulated areas
- Continue to implement support for enrollment in elementary and lower secondary schools, such as providing subsidies for purchasing school buses or boats, for distant commuting costs, etc. In addition, continue to provide support for enrollment, such as commuting costs, residence costs, etc. for students who go to upper secondary schools from isolated islands where upper secondary schools are not established.
○ Cope with disasters, including the Great East Japan Earthquake
- Regarding disasters, including the Great East Japan Earthquake, ensure educational environments such as support for re-opening of schools, and providing mental health care, learning support and financial support for students affected by disasters.
Re-posted measures
○ Enhancement of experiential activities and reading activities
○ Promotion of education on tradition and cultures, etc.
○ Support for establishment of basic living habits for children
○ Enhancement of sports opportunities for children at schools and in the community
Target （15） Provision of Educational Opportunities Responding to Diversified Needs
Handle disabilities, non-attendance at school, Japanese language abilities, complex difficulties, etc., and other diverse needs carefully, and achieve education to foster the abilities and possibilities of every single child to a maximum. In addition, provide educational opportunities based on the needs of people who have diverse backgrounds through all stages of life.
（Measurement Indicators） |
○ Promote special needs education.
- In consideration of the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and enforcement of the Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities, develop a diverse and flexible system that corresponds to the educational needs of every single child so that children with disabilities and children without disabilities can fully receive education together as much as possible from the perspective of supporting independent activities for the independence and participation in society of children with disabilities(*2). For this reason, while developing the fundamental environment, enable children with disabilities who enrolled in kindergartens, elementary schools, and lower and upper secondary schools, and schools for special needs education, etc. to obtain the provision of reasonable consideration and to receive appropriate guidance and necessary support through the use of individualized teaching plans and individualized education support plans. In addition, promote learning and exchange as well as joint learning additionally on understanding people with disabilities through overall education activities at schools through cooperation between elementary and lower secondary schools, etc. and schools for special needs education. Furthermore, under the leadership of school principals, establish an in-school support systems with special needs education coordinators as the center of the system, and promote activities where all school personnel deepen their understanding related to disabilities and special needs education in consideration of the update knowledge. Furthermore, promote collaboration between boards of education and relevant institutions, etc. such as welfare departments so that early detection before school age and appropriate support are provided.
- Engage in the establishment and sharing of standards to support students with disabilities at the stage of higher education by accumulating know-how in order to secure educational opportunities for people with disabilities.
○ Secure educational opportunities for students in elementary schools and lower and upper secondary schools who do not attend school
- Based on the Act on Securing Educational Opportunities Equivalent to Regular Education in the Compulsory Education Stage, promote support based on the situation of individual students in elementary schools and lower and upper secondary schools who do not attend school. Promote the creation of attractive schools where students in elementary schools and lower and upper secondary schools can receive education safely and promote diverse and appropriate educational opportunities for students who do not attend schools by promoting the establishment of schools and education support centers that provide education based on a curriculum specially designed for students who do not attend schools in consideration of their actual conditions, supporting through collaboration, etc. between the boards of education, schools, private groups, etc. In addition, enhance the educational counseling system for students in elementary schools and lower and upper secondary schools who do not attend school.
○ Establish and enhance evening classes at public junior high school
- In consideration of the fact that there are many individuals who have not had sufficient opportunity to obtain education equivalent to ordinary compulsory education, promote the establishment of evening classes and take measures to provide opportunities for enrollment in evening classes. Concretely, evening classes assume important roles to accept diversified students, including individuals who have not graduated from elementary or junior high schools, individuals with foreign nationalities, lower secondary school graduates for relearning, and school-aged individuals who are unable to attend school. Therefore, based on the Act on Securing Educational Opportunities Equivalent to Regular Education in the Compulsory Education Stage, etc., promote the establishment of at least one school in each prefecture, enhance educational activities in evening classes and enhance the diversity of individuals in evening classes, and comprehensively promote measures for securing educational opportunities.
○ Support for persons who dropped out of upper secondary schools, etc.
- Promote learning consultation and support for learning for persons who dropped out of upper secondary schools, etc. and desire to acquire academic abilities at the level of graduates from upper secondary schools. In addition, strengthen collaboration with the boards of education, schools, support stations for youth in the community, Japanese government employment agencies, community, society, etc., and build a consistent support system for the enrollment of persons who dropped out of upper secondary schools in higher education institutions and for social independence.
○ Secure and improve the quality of part-time and correspondence programs of upper secondary schools
- Concerning part-time and correspondence programs of upper secondary schools that assume the role of support systems for learning for people who dropped out of school or who did not attend school, students requiring special support, and other students who have problems, engage in measures to secure and improve their quality in order to provide tailored action for the diversified learning needs of students, such as setting various learning opportunities through cooperation with relevant institutions and the local community, etc.
○ Promote the education of children studying abroad, students in elementary schools and lower and upper secondary schools who returned to Japan from other countries, and foreign students in elementary schools and lower and upper secondary schools, etc.
- In order to strengthen the educational environment and functions of Japanese schools and supplementary schools, continue to engage in dispatching teachers and the development of educational materials, etc. In addition, in order to implement smooth adoption of schools in Japan while respecting the overseas learning and living experiences of students in elementary schools and lower and upper secondary schools who have returned from other countries and foreign students, etc., promote the assignment of teachers to provide Japanese language classes, implementation of practical training for teachers, the designing of special education programs for students in elementary schools and lower and upper secondary schools who require Japanese language classes, etc.
○ Promote Japanese language education to foreigners in the community
- Provide support for excellent activities related to Japanese language education in the community by local government and NPOs, etc. and provide training contributing to the enhancement of Japanese language education so that foreigners, etc. who are staying in Japan can acquire the Japanese language ability, etc. that are necessary for daily life.
Target （13） Promotion of Lifelong Learning of People with Disabilities （Re-posted）
*1 A system in Australia where tuition is not necessary while in school and a specified percentage of income based on the ability to pay after graduation is paid （Higher Education Contribution Scheme）.
*2 Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities （ratified in January 2014） requires member states to strengthen respect for the diversity of human beings, and to develop an Inclusive Education System where people with disabilities and people without disabilities can learn together under the objective of developing mental and physical abilities, etc. of people with disabilities to the extent possible and to a maximum and thereby to enable them to participate effectively in free society.
（Education Policy Bureau Policy Division）