New situation requires fresh start for discussion on education: JCP Shii

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New situation requires fresh start for discussion on education: JCP Shii

The Japanese Communist Party is trying hard to call on the Diet to make a fresh start concerning the discussion on education, rejecting a quick deliberation and hasty passage in the current Diet session of a bill to revise the Fundamental Law of Education.

The ruling parties argue that just a short period of time is enough for discussing the bill on the grounds that the bill was already discussed in the previous Diet session.

JCP Chair Shii Kazuo at a press conference on October 26 said, "It is impermissible to put the bill to a vote with little discussions as sought by the ruling parties. Discussions on the bill should be started over again from the beginning in a manner transparent to the public."

Shii pointed out that in the previous Diet session the JCP had revealed that the government bill will violate the Constitution by forcing students to show patriotism and by enabling the state to interfere with education content without restrictions.

"In addition, three more issues to be discussed have emerged after the previous Diet session," Shii stated.

They are the Abe Cabinet's "education rebuilding plan," a court decision that compulsion of "Hinomaru and Kimigayo" is unconstitutional, and widespread bullying issues at schools.

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's "education rebuilding plan" is a policy that brings about discriminatory treatment of public schools by allocating budgets in accordance with a ranking of students' academic levels. This policy is demonstrating what will happen if the government bill to revise the education law is enacted.

The Tokyo District Court on September 21 ruled that the Tokyo Metropolitan government cannot legally impose "Hinormaru and Kimigayo" on students because it constitutes a violation of Article 19 of the Constitution and Article 10 of the Fundamental Law of Education. The judgment can be taken as a challenge to the main logic of the bill.

Bullying at schools, causing the suicides of children one after another, has become a major social problem but the government is unwilling to address this issue. Fiercer competition among students with the revision of the education law will harm students emotionally and increase cases of bullying.

Shii expressed his determination to block the enactment of the bill saying, "It is absolutely necessary to thoroughly discuss educational questions including these three issues. Joining forces with the public, the JCP will continue to work to scrap the bill."
- Akahata, October 27, 2006