Zenkyo Convention calls for prevention of constitutional adverse revision

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Zenkyo Convention calls for prevention of constitutional adverse revision

The All Japan Teachers and Staff Union (Zenkyo) held its 24th Convention in Tokyo on February 10-12 under the slogans of "Say no to an adverse revision of the Constitution; prevent the implementation of the adversely revised Fundamental Law of Education; work for democratic school education."

Looking back on last year's struggle against the adverse revision of the Fundamental Law of Education in which public opinion was raised and movements had gathered strength in an unprecedented scale, Zenkyo President Ishimoto Iwao in his speech stressed that there is a strong prospect for the public to regain education from state control.

Ishimoto called on union members to further develop their movement by taking advantage of the achievements made in the struggle in which Zenkyo had greatly expanded cooperation and dialogue with the Japan Teachers Union organizations as well as with people in administrative positions.

The convention adopted an action policy calling for the prevention of an adverse revision of the Constitution as their central task, consensus building on education among the public, movements against the implementation of the adversely revised education law, opposing the establishment of a school choice system in which students will choose a school to attend and the establishment of a teaching license renewal system, and efforts to not allow the creation of inequalities in education by improving the school expense subsidies and scholarship program.

A representative from Tokyo, in which the adverse revisions of the education system had already taken place in anticipation of the education law revision, reported that some schools had received no new students because the simultaneous academic tests and the school choice system. He stressed the need to block the Abe Cabinet education reform.

In Wakayama Prefecture, the teachers union distributed 30,000 copies of petitions in opposing the adverse revision of the education law with return envelops and collected 5,000 signatures in support of the petition.

In Kochi Prefecture, union members had talks with municipal board of education chairs across the prefecture calling for withdrawal from the national achievement test. Some of the chairs said more than 10 billion yen allocated for the test should be used for other purposes, and expressed anxiety over the system in which the test is contracted out to the private entrance exam industry.

The convention elected Yoneura Tadashi as the new Zenkyo president. On behalf of the Japanese Communist Party, Ishii Ikuko, JCP Vice Chair and House of Representatives member, gave a speech to the convention participants.
- Akahata, February 11, 12, 14, 2007