The factor was discussed at an online town hall of the National Governors Association on April 29. Tokyo Gov. Koike Yuriko said the pandemic was a chance to bring Japan’s school formula in line with global standards. Osaka Governor Yoshimura Hirofumi added that such an update would be a major turning point for Japanese society as a whole.
This update features some of the school’s top academics. An organization in Osaka has filed an online petition at replace. org. It had more than 20,000 signatures as of May 2. Nisino Momoka, an organizer of the movement, says it should start in September. It would give peace of mind to academics. She says many are feeling deep anxiety because of the uncertainty.
Hirota Teruyuki, a professor of sociology of education at Nihon University, says the move would bring undeniable benefits to students. This would not provide a concrete start date for the school year, but a September-oriented school calendar would bring Japan closer to that date. of much of the world and make it less difficult for academics to study abroad.
But he points out that such a radical substitution would pose demanding situations for society as a whole. One of them would be the continuation of nurseries and kindergartens, which end in March. These systems are also expected to modify their schedules to accommodate the September calendar.
Similarly, this resolution would alter the timelines of frontal examinations and recruitment in corporations. The best Japanese schools and universities lately hold exams in February and March. Hirota says they would have to be moved to the summer to be compatible with the September schedule. And Japanese corporations are lately fulfilling their spring recruitment processes; This also needs to be adjusted.
Discussions about moving to a September calendar are not new in Japan. In 2011, the University of Tokyo held serious discussions about this replacement, hoping that it would make the school more competitive for foreign students. However, after two years of negotiations, the task was abandoned. The university that such a replacement would probably not be accepted by society as a whole and that it would only result in inconvenience for its students.
Matsumoto Zen is the director of a study institute run through the corporate career facility Recruit Career. He said that before contemplating such a large upgrade, the government will have to ensure that academics are aware of the magnitude of the upgrade they would face. According to him, the most important aspect of this technique is creating a welcoming educational environment.
The government plans to examine the reform comprehensively. However, before implementing serious projects, you will also need to convince the general public of this resolution.