JCP Koike criticizes ruling parties for their rush to enact education bill

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JCP Koike criticizes ruling parties for their rush to enact education bill

Japanese Communist Party Policy Commission Chair Koike Akira (House of Councilors member) on an NHK TV program aired on December 3 criticized the ruling parties for rushing to get a bill to revise the Fundamental Law of Education enacted.

Koike emphasized that the issue of "pre-scripted" questions at town meetings on education reform arranged by the government "concerns the very foundation of the bill." Pointing out that an Education Ministry team in charge of drafting the education bill directly engaged in the manipulation of public opinion on the bill at town meetings, he said, "The qualification of the bill submitter is called into question."

Koike said that at a time when the number of suicides committed by bullied students is growing, "What is needed now is a thorough discussion on the role of politics to overcome educational problems. It is illogical to call for the bill to be enacted putting these problems aside."

The JCP representative pointed out that the public is concerned about the bill because it will further intensify the competition, screening, and control of education and that such public concerns reflect recent opinion polls showing that the majority of respondents do not want the bill to be enacted in the current Diet session.

Koike stressed, "It is not the Fundamental Law of Education but the educational administration that is distorting education and in need of change. If the state power is allowed to unconditionally intervene in education by the revision of the education law, the degradation of education will be aggravated."
- Akahata, December 4, 2006