Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2020 July 1 - 7 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Teachers’ union urges Tokyo gov’t to support corona-affected private university students

The Tokyo Federation of Private University Faculty and Staff Unions (Tokyo Shidai Kyoren) on June 30 petitioned the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to take measures to help corona-affected students stay in school.

In Tokyo, private universities and colleges account for 92% in the number of schools and 89% in the number of students.

In the petitioning, the union pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected many private university students’ financial conditions as many of their parents experienced job losses or a decrease in income, adding that many students who work part-time have suffered income loss due to the Tokyo government’s business suspension request. Tokyo Shidai Kyoren stressed that the Tokyo government should implement measures to relieve struggling students of their financial distress caused by its suspension request.

More specifically, the union demanded that the Tokyo government provide a cash benefit of 100,000 yen to all private university students, offer interest-free loans, provide a subsidy for rent payments of students living alone, create part-time job opportunities for students, and subsidize private universities to help them install hygiene equipment necessary for the resumption of face-to-face classes.

At a press conference held after the petitioning, Aoyama Gakuin University Professor Shirai Kunihiko, who heads the union, said, “The university education experience has a great impact on students’ later lives. It is necessary to protect their right to education.” Vice chair of the union Tanaka Nao warned that many private university students will have no choice but to leave school if assistance is not provided.