On August 27, 2024, the Central Council for Education reported on the “Comprehensive Measures to Improve the Conditions for Securing Quality Teachers Responsible for Japanese-style School Education in the Reiwa Era” – toward the realization of a good balance between ‘job comfort’ and ‘job satisfaction’ as professionals in the field of learning for the sake of better education for all children. This report is in response to a consultation by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on May 22, 2023.

The table of contents of the report is as follows:

Introduction … 1
Chapter 1: Current State of School Education and Conditions Surrounding Teachers in Japan … 4
 1. Current State of School Education in Japan … 4
 2. Increasing Complexity and Difficulty of Issues to Be Addressed by Schools and Changes in the Conditions Surrounding Families and Communities … 6
 3. Current State of the Conditions Surrounding Teachers in Japan … 7
Chapter 2: Basic Approach to Improving the Conditions Surrounding Teachers … 11
 1. Teachers and Staff Members Responsible for “Japanese-Style School Education in the Reiwa Era” … 11
 2. Purpose of Improving the Conditions Surrounding Teachers … 13
 3. Basic Directions for Improving the Conditions Surrounding Teachers … 14
Chapter 3: Further Acceleration of Work-style Reform in Schools … 16
 1. Results of efforts based on the “Report on Work-style Reform in Schools …  16
 2. Further Promotion of Work Optimization of Schools and Teachers … 18
 3. Improvement of the Effectiveness of Work-style Reform in Schools … 22
 4. Enhancement of Efforts toward Ensuring the Health and Well-being of Teachers … 29
 5. Promoting Flexible Work-style … 33
Chapter 4: Improvement of Guidance and Management of the School System … 35
 1. Increasing the Number of Teachers and Staff Members and Their Placement … 35
 2. Placement of Support Staff … 44
 3. Formation of High-quality Teaching Staff with Diverse Expertise … 46
Chapter 5: Improvement of the Working Conditions of Teachers … 49
 1. History … 49
 2. How to Improve Teachers’ Working Conditions in Light of the Importance of the Teaching Profession … 50
 3. Teachers’ Welfare according to Their Duties and Work Conditions … 54
Chapter 6: Steady Implementation of the Improvement of Conditions Surrounding Teachers and Follow-up … 57
Conclusion: … 59

In relation to special needs education, as in “Chapter 1: The State of School Education and Conditions Surrounding Teachers in Japan,” and “2. The Increasing Complexity and Difficulty of Issues to Be Addressed by Schools, and the Changes in the Conditions Surrounding Families and Communities,” it is stated that “the number of pupils who need special education is rapidly increasing. The pupils include those enrolled in schools for special needs education, in special needs classes in elementary and junior high school, and those enrolled in the regular classes of elementary, junior and senior high schools while attending special education classes.

In addition, in “Chapter 4: Improvement of Guidance and Management of the School System,” “1. Increasing the Number of Teachers and Staff Members and Their Placement” and “(3) Responding to the increasingly diverse and complex issues and new learning opportunities,” it is stated that “the number of pupils enrolled in special needs classes in elementary and junior high schools is rapidly increasing. As the number of students enrolled in special needs classes in elementary and junior high schools and the number of students attending special education classes increase, the importance of special needs schools as centers that provide necessary advice and assistance for the education of students with disabilities in response to requests from elementary and junior high schools is growing year by year. It is necessary to improve the guidance and management system of special needs schools in order to strengthen these functions.

For more information, please visit the website below:
https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/chukyo/chukyo3/099/mext_00003.html

Edited and published by the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities.

Published on September 20th, 2024.