Report on the Questionnaire to Students and Educatorson the GIGA School Initiative
September 3, 2021
Digital Agency
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry*This is the digest version in English. The original text is at the following URL in Japanese.
https://cio.go.jp/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/digital/20210903_giga_summary.pdf

１．Overview of the Report⚫ In the questionnaire to students and educators on the GIGA School Initiative conducted in July 2021, we received
some 217,000 opinions from children (students) and some 42,000 opinions from adults (teachers,parents and guardians, etc.) , both of which are a large sum. We analyzed the opinions in collaboration withprivate companies who have text analysis technology through the use of AI, etc., and reported on major
issues and future directions of relevant policies as well as answers to major comments and practices
devised at schools as a new trial of policy refinement based on voices from the ground.
⚫ The purpose of digitalization in education is, with digital as a means, to provide education suitable to therespective needs of various children who will become future creators in this increasingly-rapid changing
society by bringing out their possibilities. Additionally, remote/online learning through the use of ICT isextremely important, with the current situation of COVID-19 spreading, “in order not to stop the learning ofchildren in case of emergency.”⚫ As a response to this questionnaire, ministers concerned released a joint message to students and educators,
and presented major comments and future directions of relevant policies such as shown below.

Content of opinion

Future direction of relevant policy

Network is slow

Collect and analyze info on problems, etc., and disseminate them with solutions

Cannot bring devices back home, can only use
in few lessons

Publish a guideline for promoting further utilization of ICT devices, including forbringing them back home, as soon as possible

Textbook should be digital

A pilot project on further promoting the use of digital textbooks, etc. reflected in theBudget Request for FY 2022

Support to school staff for use of ICT isneeded

Expenses for establishing a systematic and stable ICT support system for schools
reflected in the Budget Request for FY 2022

School staff devices are not provided or old

Promote use of school staff devices through tax allocations to local governments

Effective use cases should be disseminatedIn addition to use cases on the websites of MEXT & METI, disseminate practices
drawn from this questionnaire⚫ On the other hand, it does not follow that all the problems will be resolved now or soon, and there are still issues
that should be further examined such as the network environment in schools and providing/updating of schoolstaff devices, and others that have pros and cons such as filtering restriction. Ministries concerned, as “oneteam,” will tenaciously continue to consider these issues while attending to voices from students andeducators, and try to react to these voices by taking such measures as clarifying room for policy improvementin the “New Priority Policy Program” that will be published as a cabinet decision by the end of 2021.
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３．Major issues illuminated in this questionnaire
National
government※ These are not all the opinions, and a bigpicture is presented below based on major ones.

Local government

Slow digitalization of surveys/procedures
conducted by the national government

A change in the mindset of
BOEs is needed
Insufficient dissemination of thepurpose and total strategy of GIGA
School Initiative as well as practicalexamples at the groundSupport for network
environment athome is needed

Home

Insufficient use incases of disaster,pandemic,absenteeism, etc.

Insufficient learning
contents

Bringing devices
back home is not
permitted

Network is slow

SchoolLow specs of devices,
issue of compensation,lack of policy on future
update of devices

Insufficient
informationmorals/literacy

Community

School staff devices
not provided or old

Insufficientconsideration
to health issues
Insufficient use insideand outside of lesson,
cannot search websites
due to filtering

A change in themindset ofschools is needed

Lack of effective
use cases

Communication
with home notdigitalized
Insufficientsystems/tools that canbe used for homework

Enhancement ofschool staff system
is needed

Insufficient adoption ofdigital textbooks
Heavy burden on a
few teachers,
insufficient support
by experts

Insufficient PD
for teacher
use of ICT
Slow
digitalization ofschool affairs

Other regions and overseas

Insufficient utilization of human resources incommunities who are proficient in programming, etc.

Insufficient opportunities to interact online withother schools in Japan and foreign countries2３．Future directions of relevant national policies (1)※ Details are touched upon in later pages.

National
government

Expansion
Increase the amount of
support to low-income
families, etc. forcommunication cost

Expansion

Promotion of online survey,etc. by MEXT reflected in theBudget Request for FY 2022

NewJoint message released by ministers concernedWill develop Roadmap on the Utilization of Datain Education (tentative name)Share education-related info interactively on theDigital Agency website

Home

Collect/disseminate
use cases in disaster,pandemic,absenteeism, etc.

New/Expansion
Enhancing of environment for
digitalization and data connection in
education reflected in the Budget
Request for FY 2022, and STEAM
Library that enlists online contents
for explorative learning

New
Publish a guidelineon bringing
devices backhome, etc. ASAP

Expansion

New

Joint message
released byministers concernedExpansion
Class size reduction to no morethan 35 as well as support staffexpenses reflected in the
Budget Request for FY 2022

Collect and analyze
info on problems, etc.,
and disseminate
them with solutions

SchoolDevelop/disseminat

Promote use of sparee awareness-raising
devices through tax
documents on
allocations to local
information morals
governments, andconsider a policy on future
updating of devices

Promote paperlesscommunication by
sharing practices,etc.
Consider further

Improvement of functions of the“MEXCBT” system that can be used
for online learning, as well as
demonstration/dissemination of
EdTech tools, reflected in the
Budget Request for FY 2022

Community

Local government

measures basedon survey re:eyesight

Expansion
Issue anadministrative notice
to promote further
use and disseminate
use cases

New
Joint message
released by ministers
concerned

New
Disseminate
practices drawn fromthis questionnaire

Expansion

Promote use of school staff
device through tax allocations
to local governments

Promotion of the use of digitaltextbooks, etc. reflected in theBudget Request for FY 2022

New
Expenses for establishing asystematic and stable ICT
support system to schools
reflected in the Budget
Request for FY 2022

Expansion
Measures for
improving teacher
instructional
abilities to utilize
ICT reflected in theBudget Request
for FY 2022

Introduce casesof effective
processing ofschool affairs

Other regions and overseas

Promote use of special certificate system, Community School,
Community Cooperation Activities for Learning and Education,
as well as formation of Community ICT Clubs network

Collect and disseminate cases of online interaction withother schools in Japan and foreign countries3４．Answers to major comments ーChildren①ー⚫ Provided answers as the national government to major comments from stakeholders in the questionnaire.
⚫ Based on the “Open/Transparency” principle of the Digital Agency, explained our stance in as much detail as
possible, including cases in which measures are difficult to take.

＜Opinions from children＞※Major opinions are listed with some excerpts and omissions, coupled with answers as a national government.

Content of opinion

Answer as the national government

・Abide by rules
・Don’t use for purposes otherthan study
・Decide on how long to use
・Rules should be determined withsome input from students

For example, there are cases in which teachers, rather than impose rules, have a discussion withstudents on why rules are necessary and what kinds of rules are necessary, as are shown in theresults of this questionnaire and MEXT website, which we will share in the future as well. Additionally,
the national government will publish, as soon as possible, a guideline on the notes for schools andparents and guardians so that tablets and PCs will be further utilized.

・The specs of devices are low

The specs of tablets and PCs that you are using are selected by Boards of Education which take into
account scenes of utilization in communities/schools, with the amount of budgetary support from thenational government and standard model presented by them as a reference.

・Too many restrictions to view
websites useful for study
・Put restrictions on search

Each community/school determines what kinds of websites should be browsable on your tablets andPCs. The national government believes it is important to solve issues as they arise from the use of ICT
rather than put in place excessive restrictions in fear of these issues, which we will continue to deliver.

・Increase learning activities thatentail searching

Tablets and PCs are useful for learning activities that entail searching, etc. We will continue to sharegood practices in the results of this questionnaire and MEXT website.

・Cannot bring devices back homefrom school

Bringing tablets and PCs back and utilizing them for learning at home is effective in terms of ensuring
your learning in cases of disasters or the COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, we would like to ensure anenvironment in which you can bring them back with safety and security. Thus, we will conduct asurvey on how often you use tablets/PCs and in what scenes, and publish, as soon as possible, aguideline on the notes for schools and parents and guardians so that tablets and PCs will be further
utilized.
We have supported enhancing network environment and preparing charging cabinets in elementary,junior high, high, and special support schools; as a result, 98.0% of public schools can use in-school
networks as of June 2021. Additionally, when a school network is slow, it’s necessary to conduct anassessment by network experts to understand problems. Therefore, MEXT notified, with major cases
for problem resolution, BOEs on the need to confirm the necessary network environment for smoothcommunication and make improvements based on issues as they arise. We will continue support bycollecting and analyzing information on problems, and disseminating them with solutions.

・Network should be solid
・Ensure communication
environment so that all students
at school can have access at thesame time4

４．Answers to major comments ーChildren②ー
Content of opinion

Answer as the national government

・Devices are heavy・Difficult to bring back home
・Occupy too much space on the table

The specs of tablets and PCs that you are using are selected by Boards ofEducation which take into account scenes of utilization in communities/schools,
with the amount of budgetary support from the national government andstandard model presented by them as a reference.
As for the size of table, we allocate necessary money to local governments so that
schools can prepare tables of a larger size that can accommodate tablets/PCs inclassrooms in a planned way.

・It is desirable that teachers share notes and handouts oflessons online, and students submit homework online

We believe that learning will be enriched by using tablets/PCs inside and outsideof school. Therefore, we will conduct a survey on how often you use tablets/PCs
and in what scenes, and then consider necessary measures based on the results.

・Provide financial support for anyone to have a device
regardless of his/her family background・Network environment at home should be ensured first
before distributing devices to students. I cannot standreceiving a device without proper preparation. Please close
the network environment gap that results from economic
inequality.

In order to promote use of tablets/PCs at home, we provide financial support toschools lending mobile routers to families that cannot afford to prepare a network
environment at home due to their economic situation, as well as to low-income
families for communication expenses re: online learning. We aim to increase theamount of budgetary support for the aforementioned communication expenses.
We will continue to realize the vision of “No one will be left behind, human-friendlydigitalization.”・Textbooks should become digital

In order to enrich your learning through the GIGA School Initiative, further
promoting the use of digital textbooks is needed. We will consider room for
improvement and effective use through a pilot project on a national scale so thatschools will be able to fully adopt digital textbooks in accordance with the next
revision of textbooks of elementary schools in FY 2024. Especially, we would liketo conduct a pilot project (one subject in grades 5 to 6 at elementary schools(also grades 1 to 4 in priority schools), all grades at junior high schools andspecial support schools/classes) to promote use of digital textbooks in elementaryand junior high schools, etc.

・It’s difficult to use a device because I’m not accustomed toit

Nobody can see how to use digital devices from the beginning. Please try it out inthe spirit of “Try First.” If you still do not get it, you can ask adults or friendsaround you.
We believe that it’s important to solve issues as they arise from the use of ICT
rather than stop using tablets/PCs in fear of problems/risks.
Thus, we will conduct a survey on how often you use tablets/PCs and in what
scenes, and publish, as soon as possible, a guideline on the notes for schools andparents and guardians so that tablets and PCs will be further utilized.

・Please just let us use whatever is useful. Making mistakes isalso a learning opportunity. I cannot make use of it because
it’s prohibited even before making a mistake.
・What teachers think is understandable, but just putting
restrictions on it does not make sense.
・It’s desirable that teachers trust us a little bit, and give us
freedom to use PCs at least during recess as well as use themmore frequently in lessons.

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