Raise public opinion to scrap bill to adversely revise Fundamental Law of Education in Upper House

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Raise public opinion to scrap bill to adversely revise Fundamental Law of Education in Upper House
Akahata editorial

The House of Councilors Special Committee on November 23 entered into discussion on the bill to adversely revise the Fundamental Law of Education. In the House of Representatives, the discussion on the bill was abruptly broken off by the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties which used their force of majority to ram the bill through the House of Representatives. Recent opinion polls indicate that the majority of the public does not want the bill to be enacted in the current Diet session. Instead, they hope that the Diet will thoroughly discuss and make clear the issues arising from the bill.

Removing 'perfection of human character' from the law

Following the revelation of the issue that the government had planted pre-scripted questions in town meetings on revising the education law, many news media are posing questions as to why the government is rushing to forcibly get the bill passed through the Diet without even looking into the issue that calls the qualification of the government as the bill submitter into question.

What the government must do first is to seriously tackle the pressing problems of education such as the increasing number of bullying-related suicides and the failure of high schools to teach students compulsory subjects. It is already clear, however, that the government, as well as the ruling parties, unable to offer a solution to these problems.

Given its inability to show any way out, how can the government push ahead with a revision of the very foundation of education, the Fundamental Law of Education?

What is worse, the revision of the law entails grave risks of exacerbating these problems.

In grilling Prime Minister Abe Shinzo at a House of Councilors Special Committee meeting on the same day, Japanese Communist Party representative Inoue Satoshi took up relations between the failure of teaching required subjects in compulsory education and the adverse revision of the education law.

If the bill is enacted, the government will introduce nationwide simultaneous achievement tests and a system in which students will choose a school to attend based on the results of the tests imposing severe competition and screening on schools and students.

In a Tokyo ward that has established these two systems, junior high schools have had to abolish or reduce school events and special activities that are important to children's growth in order to compete with other schools.

Inoue asked the prime minister if he considers this situation as beneficial for the development of human character of the students. In response, Abe admitted that it is not good to replace school trips and other important educational opportunities with supplementary classes to prepare students for achievement tests.

Now it is clear that revising the education law and increasing competition will distort the development of human character that is the aim of education.

The Lower House discussions have revealed that the bill will violate the Constitution. The instilling of patriotism goes against the freedom of thought and conscience guaranteed by Article 19, and the unrestrained interference of the state with the substance of education goes against the freedom and independence of education prescribed in the Constitution.

The Tokyo District Court in September acknowledged that it violates Article 19 of the Constitution and Article 10 of the Fundamental Law of Education for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to force teachers and students to stand up for the Hinomaru and sing Kimigayo at school ceremonies. This ruling must be fully taken into account in the Diet discussions.

Thorough discussion must be conducted

The Diet discussion is far from complete. The forcible passage of the bill through the Lower House shows that the ruling parties have been cornered by public opinion.

Calls for the defense of the education law are increasing day by day. Let us continue to strive to develop nationwide struggles in order to scrap the bill.
- Akahata, November 23, 2006