Teachers with different union affiliations jointly hold study and exchange meeting

Teachers union members of different affiliations jointly held a study and exchange meeting in Akita City on August 10 and 11, attended by about 800 teachers and school staff from throughout Japan.

At the opening general meeting, Matsumura Tadaomi, All Japan Teachers and Staff Union (Zenkyo) president, spoke on behalf of the meeting organizer, the Joint Struggle Council of Teachers and School Staff Unions (Kyoso Kyoto).

Matsumura said that the five-day school week which was introduced in April 2002 and the education ministry's new curriculum guidelines have brought about confusion and difficulties in children's studies and teachers' and school staff's jobs.

Participants of the meeting in five subgroup meetings discussed struggles to protect their rights, activities to make better schools and improved curriculum, and problems related to the five-day school week.

A participant from Yamagata Prefecture reported that in Yamagata the size of classes in elementary schools has been made smaller than the national government standard since April. This not only helped children study in better conditions but also helped increase teachers. The number of classes increased by 91 and the number of teachers increased by 30 percent.

The reporter said that their movement succeeded in influencing the prefectural board of education to change its policy on school size, after 1,000 local government heads, local assembly members, former school principals, and other influential people formed a prefectural organization, and similar local bodies were organized in many parts of the prefecture, calling for a smaller class size.

At the closing meeting, participants adopted an appeal which called on all teachers and school staff to promote cooperation among teachers unions with different affiliations and join hands with parents and local community groups to make schools into places where children's wishes are realized. (end)