April 10, 2016
Akahata editorial
With a new school year starting, many children may already be adjusting to their school life. Meanwhile, many parents feel the joy of watching their children grow up. At the same time, many parents have realized anew the weight of educational costs and are becoming concerned. Educational costs take up a large share of household budgets in Japan, which has long been discussed as a problem. Under the Abe government, poverty and social disparities have been increasing. Child-raring families, especially low-income households, are struggling with a severe financial burden associated with educational spending. It is unacceptable for children to be deprived of their educational and development chance due to financial reasons. The government position regarding support for children and household economies is called into question.
Heavy financial burdens even in public schools
In Japan, April is the season of a drain on the wallet of families with school-age children due to paying for preparations for the start of the school year. Although public elementary and junior-high schools are free of charge, parents need to purchase school supplies, uniforms, and other necessary things. In addition, they have to pay for the school lunch.
An Education Ministry survey on annual household expenditures on education per child shows that education at public elementary schools costs about 100,000 yen which includes school lunch fees, and at public junior-high schools about 170,000 yen. The amount of school costs a family pays increases in accordance with the number of school-age children the family has. This is a hard reality for parents trying to prevent their children from feeling ashamed of their family financial condition. The current situation raises the question whether Article 26 of the Constitution requiring compulsory education to be free is being fully implemented.
Article 26 is embodied in local governments’ programs subsidizing needy families to cover their education costs, such as school supplies and school lunch fees. About 1.5 million children in families on public welfare assistance and other financially struggling families are now utilizing those programs. Although the programs are playing a role in creating conditions which enable children to attend schools, they still need to be improved for the users.
The Abe government lowered livelihood protection program’s standards which are often linked to income requirements of municipalities’ education subsidies for parents. As a result, the number of households eligible for such support programs decreased in more than 200 municipalities. This has become a serious problem. Such a setback is unacceptable. The expansion of assistance to children is urgently needed so that they can study without anxiety.
Medical checkups are conducted in schools. A medical organization’s survey revealed that there are communities where half of the children who were found to need their teeth fixed in school dental checkups did not see dentists. The economic condition of households is seemingly one of the reasons for this situation. On the other hand, in Gunma Prefecture which provides free medical care for children up to 15 years old, the percentage of children who had their teeth cared for is above the national average. This indicates that the free medical service has contributed to the protection of children’s health. The state should take the responsibility to provide free medical care programs.
Government should make efforts to deal with poverty
The Abe government shows no intent to squarely face up to and tackle the serious situation in which one in six children under 18 are living in poverty.
The government submitted to the Diet a bill to slightly increase the amount of child support allowance for single-parent households but it is totally insufficient. Regarding the plan to introduce a grant-type scholarship program, the government did not present a course of action to implement it.
What is needed is a drastic change in policies that are leading to an increase in poverty by imposing heavier burdens on the general public. The government is required to fulfill its responsibility to provide an educational environment which enables children to learn and develop by introducing measures such as drastically increasing the amount of public spending on education which currently falls below the standards of an advanced capitalist nation.
Past related article:
> Gov’t should not cut schooling subsidies for needy children [October 23, 2015]
With a new school year starting, many children may already be adjusting to their school life. Meanwhile, many parents feel the joy of watching their children grow up. At the same time, many parents have realized anew the weight of educational costs and are becoming concerned. Educational costs take up a large share of household budgets in Japan, which has long been discussed as a problem. Under the Abe government, poverty and social disparities have been increasing. Child-raring families, especially low-income households, are struggling with a severe financial burden associated with educational spending. It is unacceptable for children to be deprived of their educational and development chance due to financial reasons. The government position regarding support for children and household economies is called into question.
Heavy financial burdens even in public schools
In Japan, April is the season of a drain on the wallet of families with school-age children due to paying for preparations for the start of the school year. Although public elementary and junior-high schools are free of charge, parents need to purchase school supplies, uniforms, and other necessary things. In addition, they have to pay for the school lunch.
An Education Ministry survey on annual household expenditures on education per child shows that education at public elementary schools costs about 100,000 yen which includes school lunch fees, and at public junior-high schools about 170,000 yen. The amount of school costs a family pays increases in accordance with the number of school-age children the family has. This is a hard reality for parents trying to prevent their children from feeling ashamed of their family financial condition. The current situation raises the question whether Article 26 of the Constitution requiring compulsory education to be free is being fully implemented.
Article 26 is embodied in local governments’ programs subsidizing needy families to cover their education costs, such as school supplies and school lunch fees. About 1.5 million children in families on public welfare assistance and other financially struggling families are now utilizing those programs. Although the programs are playing a role in creating conditions which enable children to attend schools, they still need to be improved for the users.
The Abe government lowered livelihood protection program’s standards which are often linked to income requirements of municipalities’ education subsidies for parents. As a result, the number of households eligible for such support programs decreased in more than 200 municipalities. This has become a serious problem. Such a setback is unacceptable. The expansion of assistance to children is urgently needed so that they can study without anxiety.
Medical checkups are conducted in schools. A medical organization’s survey revealed that there are communities where half of the children who were found to need their teeth fixed in school dental checkups did not see dentists. The economic condition of households is seemingly one of the reasons for this situation. On the other hand, in Gunma Prefecture which provides free medical care for children up to 15 years old, the percentage of children who had their teeth cared for is above the national average. This indicates that the free medical service has contributed to the protection of children’s health. The state should take the responsibility to provide free medical care programs.
Government should make efforts to deal with poverty
The Abe government shows no intent to squarely face up to and tackle the serious situation in which one in six children under 18 are living in poverty.
The government submitted to the Diet a bill to slightly increase the amount of child support allowance for single-parent households but it is totally insufficient. Regarding the plan to introduce a grant-type scholarship program, the government did not present a course of action to implement it.
What is needed is a drastic change in policies that are leading to an increase in poverty by imposing heavier burdens on the general public. The government is required to fulfill its responsibility to provide an educational environment which enables children to learn and develop by introducing measures such as drastically increasing the amount of public spending on education which currently falls below the standards of an advanced capitalist nation.
Past related article:
> Gov’t should not cut schooling subsidies for needy children [October 23, 2015]
