Education ministry to send advisers to cut teachers’ overtime

In a bid to help reduce teachers’ overtime, Japan’s education ministry will launch a program next month to send advisers to local education boards.

Experts in operational efficiency and officials of local governments that have been trying out their own ways to cut teachers’ extra hours, will be sent as advisers to 20 to 30 education boards, upon request, ministry sources said.

Advisers will provide education boards with tips on how the workload undertaken by teachers can be reduced. Techniques learned will be compiled into a booklet to be shared with education boards across the country.

Experts include those familiar with improving the work environment and taking advantage of information and communication technology, or ICT, the sources said.

Local government officials will be dispatched by eight local governments, including two prefectures. Among them are Tokyo’s Suginami Ward, which accepts outside instructors for school club activities, and the city of Shiojiri, Nagano Prefecture, which has the city education board collect and manage school lunch fees.

Source: Jiji
Image: ANN