August 21-23, 2010

A three-day annual national education assembly on August 22 ended and adopted an appeal calling for the establishment of education guaranteeing all children proper development and progress in keeping with the spirit of the Japanese Constitution and utilizing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

During the meeting held in Wakayama City in Wakayama Prefecture from August 20-22, about 7,200 people, including teachers and parents, exchanged their views and experiences in regard to education.

In the opening speech on behalf of the organizing committee on the first day, All Japan Teachers and Staff Union (Zenkyo) President Yamaguchi Takashi emphasized the need for teachers and parents to talk to each other about the impact of the education ministry’s curriculum guideline and the effect associated with increased poverty on children. He said, “Let’s listen to children’s voice, work together, and think about ways to ensure that children can develop their academic capabilities.”

While appreciating the government decision to make public high schools tuition-free and reduce the class size to under 40 students, Yamaguchi criticized the government for continuing the nationwide simultaneous achievement test. He called on participants to strengthen their movement by utilizing the Japanese Constitution and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- Akahata, August 21-23, 2010