## Expansion of the time spent with children among teachers

The Basic Act on Education has been modified for the first time in approximately 60 years in December 2006. To realize the principles of education required for a new era, improvements are being made to adopt new systems beginning with the three laws related to education in 2007.

In order for these practices of education rebuilding to take full effect in the future, it is necessary to ensure superior human resources as teachers and to support hard-working teachers, and also schools, families, communities, and the government must work together.

Additionally, from the Survey of Teacher Working Conditions conducted in 2006, it was learned that: a) overtime hours added up to approximately 34 hours per month on average, b) approximately 2 hours on average were spent on work with no direct interaction with children, such as school management and dealing with issues outside schools. Taking these conditions in consideration, expansion of the time spent with children among teachers becomes a pressing issue.

### 1. Efforts for the budget for fiscal year 2008

With the above situations in consideration, the costs for improving the staffing levels of teachers and other personnel, as well as utilizing human resources outside schools and outsourcing office work has been capitalized within the budget plan for fiscal year 2008.

In working towards improvement in the staffing levels of teachers and other personnel, a) strengthening the school management functions by appointing a Senior Management Teacher, b) improving the support for special needs education (special support service in resource rooms in elementary and lower secondary schools), and c) promotion of dietary education (nutrition teacher) will take place to improve the quorum to 1,195 personnel, where the statistics include an increase of 1,000 personnel.

For the utilization of human resources outside schools, a new program of utilizing retired teachers has recently been established, and 7,000 retired teachers and experienced workers will be placed in schools.

Moreover, in outsourcing office work, the “Regional Headquarters for School Assistance” will be placed in 1,800 locations to promote the regional establishment of a support framework for school education.

### 2. Efforts for reducing burden at schools

In expanding the time spent with children for teachers, lessening the burden of office work at schools is necessary, for example, by reducing the amount of research and papers from the government and the board of education.

In November 2007, MEXT started the “project team for reducing burdens at schools” with the cooperation of related bodies, and compiled a “midterm summary” in December 7, 2007.

In the “midterm summary,” the need for reducing office work related to research and papers has been proposed. Specifically, a careful selection of research items, an improvement of research subjects and research frequency, establishing a contact point for researches conducted by the government and the board of education, and presenting an annual research plan beforehand have all been raised to reduce the overload.

In addition, the revision of methods for research studies (model business) is also a topic currently under discussion. Research studies play an important role of improving the quality of education and contributing to resolve the problem. However, from the viewpoint of lessening the burdens at schools, it needs to reduce the operational burdens by simplifying and rationalizing research classes and reports.

Furthermore, the utilization of Senior Management Teachers and the issue concerning the utilization of ICT are currently under discussion within the project team for overall rational management.

Given the results of the “midterm summary,” MEXT will be giving a careful selection of research items for all surveys, and also integrate 12 out of 28 complete enumerations conducted annually.