Japan news: "Problem teachers"
Covert
Hi everyone,
A story here in today's Yomiuri, a conservative national daily newspaper
in Japan, on yet another aspect of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's
"education reform" measures: the purging of those teachers deemed to be
problematic from public schools nationwide.
To some degree, one could welcome such government action, since there
certainly are problems with schoolteachers in Japan who physically or
emotionally abuse students in their classes.
But reading the following story, one also gets the impression that those
are not necessarily the same kind of "problem teachers" the Ministry of
Education plans to go after.
Historically in Japan, "problem teachers" has meant the same thing as
"problem students": those people who dare to question higher authority
and thus are judged to be "troublemakers." That would appear to be the
case this time as well.
Purging the country's public schools, as the Ministry of Education
intends to do, would seem to serve two convenient purposes: (1) It gives
notice to public school teachers nationwide that they will "shape up or
ship out" if they do not conform to the tighter "education reform"
measures planned by the Japanese government.
And (2) It punishes teachers only, while leaving the deeper underlying
problems of Japan's educational system untouched.
Regards,
Brian Covert
(KnoK NEWS)
Osaka, Japan
-------------------------------------
The Daily Yomiuri - 14 October 2000
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/1014so09.htm
MINISTRY IN DRIVE TO FIRE 'PROBLEM TEACHERS'
[by] Natsuki Komatsu
Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
So-called problem teachers -- ones who lack the leadership to conduct
meaningful classes -- may find themselves removed from the classroom if
the Education Ministry has its way.
A campaign the ministry is preparing to launch includes a planned
revision of the law so that such teachers can be dismissed from the
nation's public schools.
Teachers are currently screened and hired by prefectural governments,
although they are technically classified as local community government
officials.
Under the ministry's plan, teachers who are deemed problematic would be
transferred out of the classroom and reemployed as prefectural government
officials in a nonteaching capacity. The ministry also aims to be able to
take such action without the consent of the teachers in question.
A more coercive measure for the dismissal of problem teachers was also
considered, but the ministry turned down the idea on grounds that the
teachers themselves are not necessarily always accountable for their
actions.
The chosen method would also guarantee alternative employment for the
individuals to be dismissed as teachers, thus sparing them the shock of a
sudden firing.
The plan requires a partial revision to the law on the organization and
operation of local educational administrations.
"Prefectural governments that hired the individuals in the first place
should be held responsible," a ministry official said.
Who are these so-called problem teachers? Their characteristics include
an inability to communicate with pupils and a lack of enthusiasm for
making learning more interesting or exciting for the pupils. Many of them
reportedly only "lecture" students from blackboard notes. Some teachers
have even been accused of harming their charges by discouraging them
through words and actions.
Estimates put such teachers at about 1 percent of the entire body of
public primary and middle school teachers nationwide, according to
undisclosed survey documents compiled by prefectural education boards.
A teachers' union official has voiced concern that such an attempt by the
ministry to remove problem teachers could backfire, resulting in the
ostracization of capable or popular teachers.
Nonetheless, the seemingly small ratio of suspected problem teachers may
mask a teacher apathy whose effects are more widespread than apparent.
Indeed, such apathy constitutes a problem that cannot be ignored in that
homeroom teachers have considerable influence over the lives of children
in their charge.
The ministry and prefectural education boards previously have neglected
the issue, confessing that they were at a loss for effective solutions.
In theory, such teachers can legally be dismissed or demoted from their
teaching positions for a lack of professionalism under the Local Civil
Service Law, even though their lack of professionalism may not be
intentional.
In stark contrast with the ease of implementing punitive dismissals of
individuals implicated in crimes, however, in cases of dismissals or
demotions based on professional ability, the burden of proof is on
authorities to show that a teacher cannot be expected to improve.
Courts also have accepted complaints filed by dismissed teachers and
often have ruled in their favor, making local authorities all the more
cautious about dismissing teachers in general.
The result has been that problem teachers continue to occupy the
classroom, despite protests from children and their guardians.
The concessionary practice that has become common is to bring in another,
more compatible teacher or transfer the unpopular teacher to another
school.
This, however, is hardly a solution, and has just given rise to increased
distrust of the public education system among parents.
The ministry's apparent determination to revise the law is seen as an
effort to nip the further spread of public distrust in primary and middle
school education in the bud by taking the rights of pupils in the
classroom more seriously.
The concept of rehiring dismissed teachers as prefectural government
officials is seen as a bridge from the protective educational environment
to the competitive working world. It also takes the burden off local
communities that otherwise would be saddled with incompetent teachers.
Furthermore, small local governments, with their limited resources, would
be hard-pressed to find new jobs for the dismissed teachers within their
own jurisdictions.
The ministry, however, expects the revised law to be applied carefully,
including having the teachers undergo various training programs before
the final decision is made to transfer them.
After all, public school teachers are hired as specialized public
servants under a law that not only assures job security but also prevents
them from looking into other fields.
Furthermore, views held by the local community, including those of the
parents and the pupils, should be taken into consideration, in addition
to the opinion of the final decision-maker -- which in this case would be
the school principal -- in determining the professional aptitude of the
teacher in question.
Copyright 2000 The Yomiuri Shimbun
A story here in today's Yomiuri, a conservative national daily newspaper
in Japan, on yet another aspect of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's
"education reform" measures: the purging of those teachers deemed to be
problematic from public schools nationwide.
To some degree, one could welcome such government action, since there
certainly are problems with schoolteachers in Japan who physically or
emotionally abuse students in their classes.
But reading the following story, one also gets the impression that those
are not necessarily the same kind of "problem teachers" the Ministry of
Education plans to go after.
Historically in Japan, "problem teachers" has meant the same thing as
"problem students": those people who dare to question higher authority
and thus are judged to be "troublemakers." That would appear to be the
case this time as well.
Purging the country's public schools, as the Ministry of Education
intends to do, would seem to serve two convenient purposes: (1) It gives
notice to public school teachers nationwide that they will "shape up or
ship out" if they do not conform to the tighter "education reform"
measures planned by the Japanese government.
And (2) It punishes teachers only, while leaving the deeper underlying
problems of Japan's educational system untouched.
Regards,
Brian Covert
(KnoK NEWS)
Osaka, Japan
-------------------------------------
The Daily Yomiuri - 14 October 2000
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/1014so09.htm
MINISTRY IN DRIVE TO FIRE 'PROBLEM TEACHERS'
[by] Natsuki Komatsu
Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
So-called problem teachers -- ones who lack the leadership to conduct
meaningful classes -- may find themselves removed from the classroom if
the Education Ministry has its way.
A campaign the ministry is preparing to launch includes a planned
revision of the law so that such teachers can be dismissed from the
nation's public schools.
Teachers are currently screened and hired by prefectural governments,
although they are technically classified as local community government
officials.
Under the ministry's plan, teachers who are deemed problematic would be
transferred out of the classroom and reemployed as prefectural government
officials in a nonteaching capacity. The ministry also aims to be able to
take such action without the consent of the teachers in question.
A more coercive measure for the dismissal of problem teachers was also
considered, but the ministry turned down the idea on grounds that the
teachers themselves are not necessarily always accountable for their
actions.
The chosen method would also guarantee alternative employment for the
individuals to be dismissed as teachers, thus sparing them the shock of a
sudden firing.
The plan requires a partial revision to the law on the organization and
operation of local educational administrations.
"Prefectural governments that hired the individuals in the first place
should be held responsible," a ministry official said.
Who are these so-called problem teachers? Their characteristics include
an inability to communicate with pupils and a lack of enthusiasm for
making learning more interesting or exciting for the pupils. Many of them
reportedly only "lecture" students from blackboard notes. Some teachers
have even been accused of harming their charges by discouraging them
through words and actions.
Estimates put such teachers at about 1 percent of the entire body of
public primary and middle school teachers nationwide, according to
undisclosed survey documents compiled by prefectural education boards.
A teachers' union official has voiced concern that such an attempt by the
ministry to remove problem teachers could backfire, resulting in the
ostracization of capable or popular teachers.
Nonetheless, the seemingly small ratio of suspected problem teachers may
mask a teacher apathy whose effects are more widespread than apparent.
Indeed, such apathy constitutes a problem that cannot be ignored in that
homeroom teachers have considerable influence over the lives of children
in their charge.
The ministry and prefectural education boards previously have neglected
the issue, confessing that they were at a loss for effective solutions.
In theory, such teachers can legally be dismissed or demoted from their
teaching positions for a lack of professionalism under the Local Civil
Service Law, even though their lack of professionalism may not be
intentional.
In stark contrast with the ease of implementing punitive dismissals of
individuals implicated in crimes, however, in cases of dismissals or
demotions based on professional ability, the burden of proof is on
authorities to show that a teacher cannot be expected to improve.
Courts also have accepted complaints filed by dismissed teachers and
often have ruled in their favor, making local authorities all the more
cautious about dismissing teachers in general.
The result has been that problem teachers continue to occupy the
classroom, despite protests from children and their guardians.
The concessionary practice that has become common is to bring in another,
more compatible teacher or transfer the unpopular teacher to another
school.
This, however, is hardly a solution, and has just given rise to increased
distrust of the public education system among parents.
The ministry's apparent determination to revise the law is seen as an
effort to nip the further spread of public distrust in primary and middle
school education in the bud by taking the rights of pupils in the
classroom more seriously.
The concept of rehiring dismissed teachers as prefectural government
officials is seen as a bridge from the protective educational environment
to the competitive working world. It also takes the burden off local
communities that otherwise would be saddled with incompetent teachers.
Furthermore, small local governments, with their limited resources, would
be hard-pressed to find new jobs for the dismissed teachers within their
own jurisdictions.
The ministry, however, expects the revised law to be applied carefully,
including having the teachers undergo various training programs before
the final decision is made to transfer them.
After all, public school teachers are hired as specialized public
servants under a law that not only assures job security but also prevents
them from looking into other fields.
Furthermore, views held by the local community, including those of the
parents and the pupils, should be taken into consideration, in addition
to the opinion of the final decision-maker -- which in this case would be
the school principal -- in determining the professional aptitude of the
teacher in question.
Copyright 2000 The Yomiuri Shimbun