Molding children by design
(From The Japan Times December 18 issue)

改正教育基本法の問題点

    The original Fundamental Law of Education was promulgated in 1947, incorporating constitutional principles such as sovereignty's resting with the people, the right to receive an education, freedom of thought and conscience, and academic research. Dubbed the "constitution of education," it is based on the postwar determination of the Japanese state not to repeat the mistake of creating the ultranationalist, state-centered education system of World War II and before.

    But the revision appears to be aimed in a direction that deviates from the path of the original law on education. Among education goals, the revision calls for cultivating "an attitude that autonomously takes part in building society and contributing to its development on the basis of a public-oriented mind" as well as "an attitude that respects tradition and culture and love of the national homeland that has fostered them."

    The revision gives the state leeway to instill these attitudes in children when these attitudes should be spontaneous. The state could impose on teachers and children what it believes is a correct attitude toward the nation, infringing on the freedom of thought guaranteed by the Constitution.

    Both former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the Diet that education authorities will not assess children's "love of nation" by intruding into their inner self. Yet Mr. Abe said they will assess children's attitude with regard to tradition and culture. Might this constitute intrusion into children's inner self? Another danger is that education authorities will decide what constitutes tradition and culture and impose this idea on teachers and children.

    Article 10 of the original Fundamental Law of Education said education should not be subjected to improper control and should be carried out with direct responsibility to the people. This primarily represented the state's resolve not to repeat the prewar and wartime education policies whose main purpose was to nurture children toward the realization of national goals.

    In order to prevent such state control of education, the article said the purpose of education-related administration should be to establish and to improve the conditions necessary for fulfilling the aim of education.

    But the revision bill dropped the phrase that education should be carried out with direct responsibility to the people and, instead, inserted the phrase that education should be carried out in accordance with "this and other laws." This will pave the way for the state strengthening control of and intervening in education. Under this provision, the government would be able to impose its will on education by incorporating into law the content that it says should be taught as well as new measures including the introduction of a teachers' license-renewal system and competitive elements to education.

    Japan faces problems such as declining scholastic ability, children's violence and bullying, suicides due to bullying, juvenile crime, self-centered behavior and declining self-motivation. It is difficult to say the original basic law on education is responsible for these problems. Rather, these problems could have been prevented by faithfully trying to put into practice the spirit of the law, which embraced respect for individuality and the full development of personality; the rearing of people who love truth, peace and justice; respect for labor; the cultivation of a deep sense of responsibility; and the creation of a culture that stresses both universal values and individuality.

    During Diet deliberations, the government could not offer convincing explanations on how the revision would better serve to overcome these problems.

    Regrettably, there have not been broad-based public debates on the revision. The public is not familiar with details of the legislation. It has also been found that the government manipulated several town meetings on education reform, thus lowering the trustworthiness of the education ministry.

    Changing the Fundamental Law of Education without public consensus would damage education. There is a strong possibility that under the revision, education will become a means of producing children who lack autonomous judgment and a critical mind, just following the will of the state.

The Japan Times Weekly: December 23, 2006
(C) All rights reserved

    1947年施行の旧法は、主権在民、教育を受ける権利などの憲法で保証された権利に基づいている。しかし新法は、旧法の精神からかけ離れ、「公共の精神」の重要性を強調、教育の目標に「伝統と文化を尊重し、それらをはぐくんできた我が国と郷土を愛する態度」を養うことなどを掲げた。

    法改正により、国家は教師と児童に、「正しい」国家観を強制することが可能になる。これは憲法が保証している思想の自由を侵害する恐れがある。

    小泉前首相も、安倍首相も教育当局は児童の「愛国心」の評価はしないと言明しているが、安倍氏は「伝統と文化」については評価するという。

    旧法の第10条は、「教育は、不当な支配に服することなく、国民全体に対し直接に責任を負って行われるべきものである」と規定している。これは、国家目標の実現に都合の良い態度を児童に植え付けた戦前・戦中の教育政策に対する反省から生まれたものだ。しかし改正法は、教育は「国民全体に対し直接に責任を負って行われる」との文言を「この法律および他の法律の定めることによって行われる」と変えている。

    日本の学校は、学力低下、児童の暴力、いじめ、少年犯罪の増加、自己中心の態度、意欲の低下などに悩まされている。

    法改正について幅広い議論が行われず、国民はその内容について十分に知らされていない。 国民の合意なしの法改正で、教育は自律的判断ができず、批判精神を持たず、国家の意思に従うだけの児童をつくる手段になりかねない。