public organizations involved in science and mathematics education and promotes various measures including the comprehensive use of the community’s educational resources centered on schools. Other projects include the Program for Promotion of Period of Integrated Study which conducts practical research into methods for improving overall plans for period of integrated study and for appropriately evaluating the status of learning. There is also “Manabinpick,” which supports national tournaments where students compete with each other and improve the various abilities they develop in school (see http://www.manabinpick.mext.go.jp).

▲Morning class session in the basics (Adachi Ward Gotanno Elementary School)

Furthermore, in order to enhance individuality and ability, programs known as Super Science High Schools (SSH) and Super English Language High Schools (SELHi) are conducted to perform research and development that contributes to the development of capable human resources in specific fields including science, mathematics and English. Language skills of Japanese and English are also improved through the Model Program for Improvement of skills of Japanese, which designates model communities in order to improve Japanese language ability, a requirement for all intellectual activity. Under the current curriculum, moreover, the Elementary School English Language Activity Community Support Program supports exemplary efforts aimed at improving teaching methods used in elementary school English language activities.

## (2) Improvement of conditions for ensuring the quality of education

To achieve sound academic achievement in schools, various conditions must be established. For this reason, the 7th Plan on Public Compulsory Education School Teaching Staff Deployment is being implemented for the purpose of realizing class sizes of 40 students or fewer and teaching small-group classes according to proficiency.

## Section 2 Cultivating Richness in Mind and Sound Body

## 1 Current state of children’s mental health and physical strength

## (1) Current state of children's mental health

With regard to circumstances relating to children’s mental growth, it has been noted in recent years that there has been a weakening of children’s mental vitality due to changes in the environment surrounding children, a decline in the educational capacity of homes and communities, and fewer experiential activities. Specifically, there have been issues such as insufficient respect for life, lack of self-esteem, poor basic lifestyle habits, decrease in children’s self-control and normative consciousness as seen in the problem that the difficulty for some children to adapt in new circumstances sometimes makes trouble in the management of classes like class disruptions, and a decline in the ability to form human relationships.

For example, the Report of a Survey on the Lifestyles and Attitudes of Low-Age children issued by the Cabinet Office in February 2007 noted that compared with a corresponding survey conducted in September 1999, the percentage of elementary school students and lower secondary school students who responded that they had confidence in themselves dropped from 56.4% to 47.4% and 41.1% to 29.0%, respectively. In addition, the percentage of lower secondary school students who responded that they were anxious or worried about studying and going on to the next stage of education increased from 46.7% in a corresponding survey conducted in November 1995 to 61.2%, while the percentage of lower secondary school students who responded that they were anxious or worried about friendships increased from 8.1% in the November 1995 survey to 20.0%.