News The plight of Japanese pupils

[thomas]

The past few days saw several articles and news features on the plight of Japanese pupils: not only are they not allowed to wear coats or jackets over their winter uniforms, their "randoseru" (schoolbags, from the German "Ranzen" or the Dutch "ransel") are too heavy as well.

Mainichi reported on "unreasonably strict school rules" prohibiting students from wearing coats.

In mid-January, a 17-year-old student was walking in the cold, wearing only a uniform with a stand-up collar. The boy, who is a third-year student at a high school in the city of Kagoshima, said, "Man, I'm cold. I've seen another student being called over by a teacher after going to school with a coat on." This student does not wear a coat on his way to and from school, and instead endures the cold by wearing sweaters and high-performance underclothes. Following a freedom of information request to the Kagoshima Municipal Board of Education to obtain the rules of municipal high schools in the academic year of 2022, it was learned that the rules of this boy's school included a section that read, "We forbid students from wearing overcoats, jumpers, etc. However, this does not apply to cases where the student guidance department gives permission to wear the prohibited clothing." In other words, the school bans wearing coats without authorization.

So basically, they need special permission from a "Student Guidance Department" to keep themselves warm in freezing temperatures.


As reported by NHK yesterday: a middle school in Hiroshima told a student who showed up wearing a jacket over his uniform on a freezing winter day that it was against the school rules. He had to take it off and head back home without wearing it, only to get a cold the following day.

寒い日でもジャンパー着て登校 「校則」で認めず 広島の中学校 | NHK

【NHK】この冬一番の強い寒気が流れ込んだ先月下旬、広島市の公立中学校で、ジャンパーを着て登校した生徒が「校則」に基づいて、着てこ…

www3.nhk.or.jp

The Guardian took a look at the (literal) load Japanese students must carry the day in and day out:

More than 90% of children aged 6-12 who use randoseru say the weight is a problem, according to a recent survey by Footmark, a Tokyo-based manufacturer of swimwear for schoolchildren. In a report on the survey of 1,200 parents and their first-, second- and third-grade children, the Yomiuri Shimbun said 93% of pupils thought their bags were too heavy – an opinion shared by 90% of parents. The bags, initially introduced to encourage children to walk to and from school, are made to last pupils through their first six years of compulsory education. But their durability and roomy proportions come at a price. According to the Yomiuri, the average weight of a randoseru filled with books and other paraphernalia is 4.28kg, up from 3.97kg in 2022. Some children struggle with backpacks weighing more than 10kg, the newspaper added. Almost one in four children who mentioned the weight issue complained of shoulder or back pain, while 65% of all respondents said they would like to trade in their randoseru for something lighter. Parental complaints about the items have traditionally centred on their hefty price tag. They cost an average of ¥56,425 (£353/$425) in 2022, according to a survey by the Randoseru Kogyokai industrial association. The price has risen nearly ¥20,000 over the past decade.

Old-school backpacks too heavy, Japan’s pupils complain

Sturdy leather bag known as randoseru can weigh 4-10kg when full, leaving students in pain and wanting something lighter

www.theguardian.com

 

[Petaris]

Wait, so they can't even wear a coat on the way to/from school? How in the world is that even in the schools jurisdiction to have a rule about?

Also, a freedom of information request was required to just find out about the rules? Is this a school for training spooks or something?

Also, I know this is Japan and not the US, but how are parents not showing up at the school and telling them where they can shove these ridiculous rules?

 

[Petaris]

Another thought, I wonder if this will start changing with more foreign workforce, and thus students, attending. I feel like a lot of this wouldn't fly in most countries.

 

[johnnyG]

Our two definitely wore winter coats here, also thick winter tights, black IIRC (never an issue with either of those).

 

[johnnyG]

This BBC report seems to have missed the negatives, placing japan really high:

The five countries emigrating families love

We answer every emigrating family's top question: where are the best places to raise children – or, for that matter, to be a child?

www.bbc.com

or the pidgin version:

Best countries to raise a child: Japan, Estonia, Spain, odas make up best kontries wia parents fit raise pikin according to reports - BBC News Pidgin

Japan join four oda kontris wey make di list of di best places parents fit raise dia pikin.

www.bbc.com

 

[thomas]

This BBC report seems to have missed the negatives, placing japan really high

The BBC article (thanks for the pidgin version, it took me a while) considers why Japan is safe for kids to grow up in. That does not change the fact that some Japanese schools impose non-sensical rules on their students (regulating school uniforms to underwear and swimsuits, hairstyles, and whatnot). Not allowing students to wear coats and jackets in winter sounds pretty daft to me.

 

[thomas]

The Fukuoka Municipal Board of Education has decided to eliminate "unreasonable rules" at all 69 municipal junior high schools in its school district. Such rules include prohibiting undercut and ponytail hairstyles, specifying the colours of underwear, T-shirts and gender-specific hairstyles and uniform rules. Also, there was "no rational reason to make distinctions based on gender." Other rules, such as those for eyebrows and sock colours, differed from school to school and were still under review.

In the school rules review guideline that the association of Fukuoka municipal junior high school principals created in July 2021, the association cited three points to note: "respect for students' human rights," "consideration for students' health" and "rules based on common sense in society and the progress of the times." Revised school rules were implemented starting April 2022. An official at the board's junior high school education division said, "We thought that children wanted more freedom, but looking at the review status of each school, children proved to be sounder. We felt that it is important to listen to the children's voices and provide them with a sovereign education that allows them to follow the rules they have created themselves."

'Unreasonable' school rules to be abolished at Fukuoka municipal junior high schools - The Mainichi

FUKUOKA -- School rules that cannot be reasonably explained, such as those prohibiting undercut and ponytail hairstyles, are expected to be abolished

mainichi.jp

 

[musicisgood]

I don't think the students are still allowed to chew gum on the way to school. Weird since I remember that back in the 70's here. Also, one was NOT allowed to eat on the trains.