Many local assemblies are against or cautious about plan to change education law

A survey has found that at least 88 local assemblies have so far expressed opposition to or reservation about the government plan to change the Fundamental Law of Education into one of inspiring patriotism.

The survey conducted by the All Japan Teachers and Staff Union (Zenkyo) was announced on May 10.

City, town, and village assemblies began to adopt such resolutions in response to the Central Council on Education proposing a change in the basic law on education in its report published in November 2002.

In the southwestern prefecture of Kochi, 19 local assemblies, including Kochi City Assembly, adopted opinions during their December or March sessions. They account for more than 30 percent of the prefecture's local assemblies.

The Aikawa Town Assembly in the northern prefecture of Akita adopted a unanimous resolution expressing opposition to the "review" of the Fundamental Law of Education.

Japanese Communist Party local assembly members are playing an important role in proposing resolutions on this question.

In Hokkaido, teachers, lawyers, artists, and religious leaders founded a council for the protection of education and culture in February 2002. Last March, on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the Fundamental Law of Education, the group ran an opinion advertisement in a commercial newspaper to express opposition to the planned adverse change of the law. (end)