Fundamental Law of Education


The Fundamental Law of Education is a Japanese law which sets the standards for the Japanese education system.

Summary

The Fundamental Law of Education, as the name suggests, is a law concerning the foundation of Japanese education. Because it acts as the basis for the interpretation and application of various laws & ordinances regarding education, it is also known as "The Education Constitution" and "The Charter of Education". MEXT translations into English entitle it the Basic Act on Education.
The Fundamental Law of Education contains a preamble and 18 Articles. The law sets out the purposes and objectives of education and provides for equal opportunity in education, compulsory education, coeducation, social education, political education, religious education, educational administration, etc. According to the law, the purpose of education is "the full development of personality". Article 1 states that the law
The current Fundamental law was enacted on December 22, 2006, replacing the previous 11-article Act of March 31, 1947.

Original 1947 enactment

The old law was created under the auspices of SCAP, enacted by the 90th session of the Imperial Japanese Diet, which would be the last Imperial Diet conducted under the Imperial Japanese Constitution. It is often said that the old Fundamental Law of Education was written in the spirit of the new Japanese Constitution, representing a radical means of education reform, and replacing the pre-World War II Imperial Rescript on Education, which was based on Imperialist and Confucianist thought.
During the debate about constitutional reform, it was argued that provisions regarding education should be included in the national constitution itself. However, the Minister of Education at that time, Kōtarō Tanaka, proposed the creation of a separate law regarding education. The Ministry of Education then created an Educational Reform Committee, which deliberated over the contents of the Fundamental Law. The law was approved by the Imperial Diet as was written in the original draft, without revision.

Provisions of the Fundamental Law of Education

Soon after the passing of the Fundamental Law, there were numerous arguments suggesting its revision. Some suggested that ideas of patriotism and regard for Japanese traditions were lacking, and others maintained that such provisions could lead to renewed feelings of nationalism and subservience to the state. Such arguments have been brought up repeatedly since the law was first passed.
On April 28, 2006, the Cabinet drafted a reformed version of the law which was submitted to the 164th ordinary session of the National Diet. The draft is composed of a preamble and 18 articles. The new preamble does not include the phrase "the realization of the ideals laid forth in the constitution depend on the education of the people", as is stated in the current law, and includes some additions, such as the phrases "community spirit" and "the inheritance of tradition". In addition, the "purpose of education" has been divided into five items, containing such moral provisions as "to nurture an attitudeto love our country and our home".
On May 2, 2006, the Ministry of Education announced that they had established a "Fundamental Law of Education Reform Promotion Headquarters" under the direction of Kenji Kosaka, the Minister of Education. The first meeting was scheduled for May 8, and a project team was established. The objective of this group is not only to regulate argument in the Diet, but also to assist in initiatives to explain the educational reforms to the public and decide on basic programs promoting education.
On December 22, 2006 the complete revision of the Fundamental Law of Education passed and was implemented. It now contains 18 Articles.

Main points of contention

Opinion was divided on whether students should receive education "according to individual ability" or "equally". The new Law does not contain the word "equally" any longer.
There was also debate about whether the absolution of school fees at public universities should be limited only to tuition costs, or should also include textbook fees, food costs, commutation costs, etc.
There was debate concerning the topic of political neutrality, namely, what kind of political education should be forbidden, and how to harmonize this with the promotion of political interest amongst students. In 1954, the Japanese government, aiming to curb political activity by the Japan Teachers Union, passed a law designed to ensure "political neutrality" in Japanese public schools. In 2004, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi refused to accept a petition—written by Japanese high school students—against the deployment of the Japan Self-Defense Forces to Iraq
, said to be due to the prohibition on political education.

Political Debate

On March 20, 2003, based on the discussions of the People's Educational Reform Council, the Central Education Council reported to Minister of Education Atsuko Toyama on the necessity of reform to the Fundamental Law.
According to the report, the concepts expressed in the Fundamental Law should continue to be valued; however, in order to meet the challenges of the 21st century, the following reforms would be necessary.
  1. the establishment of a trustworthy schooling system
  2. promotion of university reform, to become leaders in the information age
  3. to restore the educational ability of the family, and to promote a society in which the school, family, and local community cooperate
  4. to foster attitudes to take part in community planning
  5. to foster respect for Japanese traditions and culture, to encourage love for the homeland, and promote the spirit of membership in the international community
  6. the realization of a society based on lifelong learning
  7. to decide on a master plan to encourage education
In April 2004, the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei Parties reached an agreement on the meaning of the term "patriotism" and submitted a reform proposal to the Diet, the first such proposal to be submitted to the Diet since the end of World War II.
The proposed reforms reflect three influential lines of thinking.
  1. Educational reform is necessary to nurture an educational elite and in order for Japan to continue to be a leader in developing cutting-edge technology.
  2. Problem children responsible for the disintegration of Japanese society can be dealt with through home discipline, the strengthening of moral education, and community service.
  3. The expansion of the Ministry of Education's realm of authority is critical. The reformed law would give the Ministry of Education a virtually free hand with regards to educational administration.

    Moral education

The extent and nature of moral education is a frequent point of debate in government and academia.
The old Fundamental law did not contain provisions regarding moral education, although moral education features in the curriculum overseen by the Ministry of Education. Along with other provisions in order to "broaden" the scope of the law, there were added provisions regarding moral education. For example, the objective in Article 2
is designed to satisfy both conservative views on patriotism and progressive views on global integration and/or focus on individualism.