November 10, 2018

The Japanese Communist Party on November 9 announced its policy featuring an increase in the number of elementary and junior high school teachers.

The policy proposes that the number of teachers be increased by 90,000 within ten years and that the budget needed to employ more teachers can be secured by raising national educational expenditure of GDP by 0.1 point, according to JCP Policy Commission Chair Kasai Akira.

Kasai at a press conference said that many teachers work up to 12 hours a day. Even the latest government report finds that 80% of school teachers are under significant stress due to heavy workloads and they are pointing to the need for more teachers, Kasai added.

The state government has increased the number of classes without increasing the number of teachers. Their working hours have become even longer after the government introduced national academic achievement exams, a renewal system for teachers' licenses, and a teacher evaluation system. By law, public school teachers have to work overtime without extra pay.

Kasai pointed out that these are the major causes of teachers' long working hours at Japanese public schools.

The JCP policy, in addition to recruiting 90,000 more teachers, also proposes the following:

- Cut the number of classes a day and set a weekly upper limit;
- Abolish the teaching license renewal system as it causes a shortage of teachers;
- Reduce school affairs by cooperation among the state, municipalities, and schools;
- Pay overtime to public school teachers and regulate overtime work;
- Provide full-time regular positions and better working conditions to part-time teachers.

Kasai said that the JCP will work to increase cooperation with Boards of Education, teachers' unions, and PTAs in this regard as well as with other opposition parties.

Past related articles:
> Teachers exhausted from excessive workloads and long working hours [June 28, 2017]
> JCP Tamura urges gov’t to eradicate teachers’ excessively long working hours without delay [March 12, 2016]
> Number of teachers on sick leave due to mental fatigue shows no decline [December 26, 2015]
> Education ministry’s plan to increase classroom hours will increase public school teachers’ fatigue [December 25 & 26, 2014]
> Workload for teachers in Japan stands out in world [July 6, 2014]
> Teachers suffer from long working hours [January 22, 2014]