Abe to consider Sept. start of school year amid coronavirus closure
To me, this is just another example of reactive politics. It is short-sighted and cowardly. Because they are just running away from a problem by trying to adopt another idea that has not been studied properly.
Yes, there are merits to aligning the start of the school year with other countries. But a change in the start of the school year is not a small thing. It does not just impact students. The impact is to the entire society, as parents need to adapt to the change. Companies who hire people need to be able to handle this change. There are many aspects to be considered for such a major change, and my worry is that trying to implement this in a short few months will mean the issues are not being properly studied.
And we know what happens when we try to implement a policy in Japan without properly studying the issue.
Private English tests for Japan university entrance exams delayed after minister's gaffe
This was just half a year ago. The education ministry really can do without having another gaffe. But while the entrance exam policy botch affects a portion of students, the changing of the school year affects the entire society. A lot more time and effort needs to be put in before it can be implemented. To talk about this lightly is a sign of short-sightedness and just plain stupidity.
The real problem that the education ministry needs to be handling is the problem of home-based learning as a contingency plan. The recent school closures have highlighted this problem. Japan does not have a contingency system to handle widespread disruption to the school system. And this problem will not go away by shifting the school year to start in September. If a second wave of infections hit in autumn, we will still be faced with the same problem of school closures. What then? Shift the school year again to start in April?
Spend the money to put in place a contingency system for home-based learning. Once that system is in place, the education ministry can work with other ministries to study into the actual impact of shifting the school year to start in September.
Implementing home-based learning is costly. But avoiding the issue just because it is costly is irresponsible and cowardly. Shifting the school year is not a solution, it is just avoiding the problem, trying to look like politicians are doing something, when they are just kicking the can down the road, and making the private sector and families deal with the impact.
Any politician who even speaks about this again better answer this question first: what happens if there is a second wave of infections?
To me, this is just another example of reactive politics. It is short-sighted and cowardly. Because they are just running away from a problem by trying to adopt another idea that has not been studied properly.
Yes, there are merits to aligning the start of the school year with other countries. But a change in the start of the school year is not a small thing. It does not just impact students. The impact is to the entire society, as parents need to adapt to the change. Companies who hire people need to be able to handle this change. There are many aspects to be considered for such a major change, and my worry is that trying to implement this in a short few months will mean the issues are not being properly studied.
And we know what happens when we try to implement a policy in Japan without properly studying the issue.
Private English tests for Japan university entrance exams delayed after minister's gaffe
This was just half a year ago. The education ministry really can do without having another gaffe. But while the entrance exam policy botch affects a portion of students, the changing of the school year affects the entire society. A lot more time and effort needs to be put in before it can be implemented. To talk about this lightly is a sign of short-sightedness and just plain stupidity.
The real problem that the education ministry needs to be handling is the problem of home-based learning as a contingency plan. The recent school closures have highlighted this problem. Japan does not have a contingency system to handle widespread disruption to the school system. And this problem will not go away by shifting the school year to start in September. If a second wave of infections hit in autumn, we will still be faced with the same problem of school closures. What then? Shift the school year again to start in April?
Spend the money to put in place a contingency system for home-based learning. Once that system is in place, the education ministry can work with other ministries to study into the actual impact of shifting the school year to start in September.
Implementing home-based learning is costly. But avoiding the issue just because it is costly is irresponsible and cowardly. Shifting the school year is not a solution, it is just avoiding the problem, trying to look like politicians are doing something, when they are just kicking the can down the road, and making the private sector and families deal with the impact.
Any politician who even speaks about this again better answer this question first: what happens if there is a second wave of infections?
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