April 1, 2014 marks an important day for Japan when a hiked sales tax takes effect and a new moral textbook is issued to all public school youngsters.
Adults dislike the tax. How will the children feel about the text? This is no April Fools joke.
Apparently the moral textbook contains new content on such great historical figures as Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa. News stories report that lessons cover "information ethics," "traditional Japanese culture," and bullying prevention. From personal stories communicated directly to me (and from what I have read), bullying is a significant issue in some schools. To the contrary, some of our non-Japanese friends say that their foreign-born children attended public schools and experienced NO bullying, that they were treated by teachers and peers with great kindness. It appears that like U.S. public schools, quality is variable from one building to the next. A graduate student who attended Japanese public schools told me that in some classrooms students do NOT respect the teacher; they do not obey and do not want to study or learn. The government estimates that is the case in 10% of the public school classrooms. Despite its nationalized curriculum, Japan has permitted considerable latitude in terms of how students are taught and how moral/ethical conduct is enforced within individual schools. Perhaps the current goal is to tighten standards and improve accountability. I don't really know but hope to find out.
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