“kokoro no note” are being distributed to elementary and junior high school students around the country as learning tools for moral education designed to express the nature of morals in a readily comprehensible manner and to inspire children themselves to think about moral values. These “kokoro no note” can be used in a variety of school educational activities as well as in day-to-day life, with schoolchildren opening them to particular pages and writing notes and with families discussing issues mentioned in the notebooks.

## 2 ) Programs to promote moral education that reverberates in the hearts of schoolchildren

MEXT is conducting practical research to promote moral education that reverberates in the hearts of schoolchildren using creative schemes devised by schools and boards of education that may utilize local human resources or experiential activities, involve the development and use of learning tools, or allow outside participation in moral education classes. MEXT is also offering “Training for instructors promoting education”.

## 3 ) Programs for collaborative research with teacher training faculties to enhance moral education

MEXT in FY2004 began research focused on issues involved in improving moral education, including development of effective instructional methods and learning materials for moral education suited to the particular circumstances of schoolchildren and schools through cooperation between boards of education and the teacher training faculties of universities.

4) Assigning “kokoro no sensei” (subsidies for expenses incurred in hiring special part-time instructors [moral education])

MEXT provides funding to cover the expenses entailed in assigning to schools as “kokoro no sensei” local residents and renowned specialists to promote classes on morals that reverberate in the hearts of schoolchildren.

## (2) Measures to Promote Hands-on Activities

Volunteer activities and hands-on activities in nature matched to children’s developmental stages have become greatly significant in the nurturing of a rich humanity and sociability in schoolchildren in a society undergoing urbanization, a declining birthrate, and a weakening of ties in local communities. Since FY2002, MEXT has implemented the “Rich Experience Activity Model Program” and designated communities and schools in each prefecture to promote hands-on activities that will serve as models for other schools. MEXT has since FY2003 also been implementing hands-on activities by designating certain schools to promote inter-community exchange by having schoolchildren from urban areas visit rural regions and other communities richly endowed with natural surroundings to participate in experiences of farming/forestry/fishing and other activities in nature. In FY2004, a number of schools were designated for the promotion of extended-stay experiences which involve living in communal living accommodation and experiences of everyday-life in local communities. MEXT has endeavored to publicize the achievements realized through these approaches by holding exchange meetings nationwide and by preparing/distributing collections of case studies.

## 3 Creating Safe and Secure Schools

Accidents and disasters occur in all facets of day-to-day life, and children are exposed to a variety of risks. MEXT has long asked prefectural boards of education to enhance school safety management by illustrating with examples specific aspects of safety management requiring inspection and measures for dealing with intruders and other incidents/accidents. In June 2001 a horrendous incident occurred that several children and teachers were killed or injured by a stranger who intruded into at the Ikeda Elementary School attached to Osaka Kyoiku University. After words there seems to be no end to incidents, which threaten the safety of children in school premises or on their way to or from school.

In light of these situations, MEXT has implemented a Safety and Security Project for children $ ^{2} $ to comprehensively improve responses to school safety and mental health issues (“mental health care”) involving schoolchildren, and has sought to enhance school safety by releasing “An Urgent Appeal on School Safety – Protecting the Safety of Children” (January 2004) to push schools to institute more concrete security