News The plight of Japanese pupils

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.

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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.

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johnnyG said:

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

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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."

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