Parents and childcare center staff meet to discuss better childcare system

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Parents and childcare center staff meet to discuss better childcare system

More than 12,000 people, including parents, childcare center staffs, and academics assembled in Osaka to take part in the 41st National Joint Study Meeting on Childcare to discuss the creation of better childcare system.

The meeting has been held annually since 1969 by the National Liaison Association of Childcare Organizations, which consists of childcare center workers, organizations on pre-school children's education, and the local government workers union.

Attending 45 workshops and the symposium held at 56 sites, participants exchanged their views and experiences regarding improving of childcare system.

At the plenary session on the last day of the meeting, Nobel Prize winner in physics Masukawa Toshihide in his lecture talked about defending Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution and providing a learning environment in which children can learn with ehthusiasm.

The meeting adopted an appeal that pointed out that due to the forcible introduction of a market mechanism, problems have been caused by the corporate entry into childcare center operations and the privatization of public childcare centers, and criticized the fact that the government intends to adversely revise the public childcare system under the pretext of decreasing the number of children on the waiting lists to enter childcare centers.

The appeal states that the public childcare system should be maintained and called on participants "to work together to establish a politics and society which guarantees rights to children, our hope for a better future."

A childcare center worker from Amagasaki City, Kobe Prefecture said, "Cutbacks in childcare services are unacceptable. Because of unstable employment situations, parents are experiencing hardships financially and emotionally. In order to protect children who can enjoy their childhood years, I want to find a way to change the current political situation."

A mother with three children from Fukuyama City in Hiroshima Prefecture stated, "This is my first time to attend. I'm impressed with the solidarity among participants who are working toward a common goal."

- Akahata, July 26-28, 2009