i am always surprised at the number of extracurricular acivities involved in school management here. in the paper some teachers complain about how busy they are but nowhere is said what their actual work load is. daily club activity (that extends over the week ends), preparation for all kinds of celebrations etc all add up to things i never saw in france. teachers here, even though they don't have anything to do are supposed to be at school during school vacations. there is a lot of un-common sense that everybody feels. the school is responsible for the kids even outside the school. in some areas teachers would patrol the city after hours to check whether the kids are behaving properly. etc.
there is a special issue of gendai shisou on 'education today' (that's for japanese readers). the first article mentions the neoliberal policies and their influence on the educational system: in 95 there has been proposals for a new system that distinguishes 3 functions. 'basic class' 'free class' 'experimental class'. only the first would be the responsibility of the ministry of education and would include only 'national identity construction' 'language' and 'math' all the rest would be privatized. high ranking officials, including the education minister aggreed to the proposals. under the obuchi cabinet another distinction was made: education for the state (forced upon the pupils as a duty) and education for the individual (provided as a service). only the first should be handled by the state. the neoliberal rethoric emphasizes the individualization of education and is supported at every level of the state.
what people don't understand here is that individuals are just trying very hard to adapt to brutal changes in the rules. the one who complain that parents are not properly educating their kids are totally mistaken. most parents are trying real hard to conform to the new ideology that is forced upon them through all the available channels. it's scary.
jc helary