ニュース 2010/02/25 DPJ’s Ebata asks questions regarding education bill On February 25, DPJ Diet member Takako Ebata posed questions to Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Tatsuo Kawabata in the plenary session of the House of Representatives, following his explanation of the main points of the “Bill relating to the elimination of tuition charges for state high schools and the provision of financial assistance for those entering private high schools” (tentative translation), the so-called, “Bill for making high school education free”. At the start of her speech, Ebata once more emphasized that the DPJ, in their Manifesto for last year’s general election, had vowed to “value each and every life”, to shift the focus of budgetary funding from “concrete to human beings” and to realize a mode of government for “Putting People’s Lives First”. At the same time, she stressed that “The measures which I put the most emphasis on and which are the focus of most expectation from the public are the child allowance, and the pledge to “make high school education free” which is the subject of the legislation that is before us today. Ebata went on to say that the realization of a “society in which children, who will support our future, are free to pursue their limitless potential” as described by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in his policy speech, is what is most needed in present-day Japan. She also referred to Minister Kawabata’s statement in the Committee on Budget that “It is people who will create a future Japan and be its core support, and it is the education of the people that is the most important challenge in supporting the future of our nation. This system for the provision of a free high school education is based on the concept that the cost for high school education, which nurtures the human resources that are a crucial support to society, should be borne by society as a whole.” Ebata went on to declare that “As we move toward the realization of this system, I am strongly aware of its significance” and emphasized, “As the ruling party, I would like us to ensure that this policy can be implemented from April of this year.” Ebata added that the legislation aimed for an “epoch-making system reform” that would enable children’s studies to be supported by the whole of society. In order for a smooth implementation of the proposed measures, she stressed that the understanding and cooperation of the public would be essential, and asked the Minister to explain once more the outline and the significance of the move to make high school education free. At the same time, she said that with 98% of junior high school students in Japan continuing on to high school, there were voices suggesting that the DPJ should take the opportunity of eliminating high school tuition fees to extend the period of compulsory education until graduation from high school, and asked Minister Kawabata for his opinion on this point. Kawabata said that in order to create a society where all those who wished to receive a high school education could do so free from anxiety, regardless of their family background, the government had decided that the tuition fees for state high schools should be eliminated. He added that in the majority of countries the provision of a free secondary education is stipulated and that this is a global trend. Furthermore, Ebata said that if tuition fees were not charged at state high schools, but remained in place at private high schools, this would mean that there would be a gap between state and private high schools and there was concern that students attending private high schools would be suffer as a result, and asked Kawabata for his thoughts on this matter. Kawabata answered, “We will provide financial assistance to students attending private high schools that is of the same amount as the sum which no longer needs to be paid by those attending public high schools.” He added that private high schools have individual founding philosophies and since eliminating tuition fees in such schools would necessitate increased government involvement in such schools there were likely to be many obstacles to implementing such a policy. Ebata went on to ask Kawabata who would be eligible to receive the financial assistance that would be available to students other than those attending state high schools. Kawabata said that students would be eligible if they met a certain number of requirements and that he would like to judge what these should be with reference to the ongoing Diet debate. Moreover, Ebata commented on the fact that the legislation would be implemented from the forthcoming academic year, meaning that those enrolled in state and private high schools from April of this year would be the target of the legislation. She pointed out that “high school students who are unable to pay their tuition fees for economic reasons are increasing in number” and there are high school students who will be facing a pressing crisis with regard to their graduation at the end of this academic year in March, and said that “we must not see a situation where children’s lives are impacted by the difference of a mere year,” urging for the assistance to be provided during the current academic year.