Ei-iE

Japan Teachers’ Union (JTU) brought together education stakeholders to discuss the concerning findings of TALIS 2024 regarding teachers’ difficult working conditions, especially the excessive workload, that fuel the teacher shortage in the country.

“TALIS shows that Japan’s teachers are in a critical condition in terms of the long hours they are working, the size of their class, the reform fatigue, the stress, the administrative weight, and much more. Teachers need time, tools, and trust to be able to deliver for the children of Japan”, stated David Edwards, Education International General Secretary, at the JTU International Symposium.

A profession at breaking point

Opening the International Symposium hosted at the National Diet of Japan on November 7, Takashi Kajiwara – JTU President and Education International Vice-President for Asia-Pacific – presented some of the most worrying findings of TALIS 2024 for Japan’s teaching profession and education system.

According to the survey, Japanese teachers work over 55 hours per week, more than colleagues in any other OECD country.

Stress among Japanese teachers is strongly linked to non-instructional responsibilities. The most commonly reported sources of stress include excessive administrative work (63% of teachers), addressing concerns from parents or guardians (56%, ranking third among TALIS countries), and keeping up with changing requirements from authorities (43%).

Job satisfaction among Japanese teachers is comparatively low. Only 79% report being satisfied with their job overall, which is below the OECD average of 89%. Satisfaction with employment terms (37%) and salaries (29%) is markedly lower than international norms, and both indicators have declined since 2018.

In this context, 20% of teachers under the age of 30 intend to leave the profession within the next five years.

With sick leave for mental illness reaching record levels and putting additional pressure on an already exhausted workforce, it is “impossible to call our schools sustainable”, Kajiwara emphasised.

The JTU has put forward a set of demands for immediate action: reduce workloads, increase staffing levels, abolish or fundamentally revise the Special Salaries Act.

Imperative to Go Public! Fund Education

Through EI’s Go Public! Fund Education campaign, the JTU is advocating for increased funding for public education and urgent measures to end the teacher shortage in Japan.

The United Nations Recommendation on the Teaching Profession indicate a standard of at least 6% of GDP and 20% of total government expenditure allocated to education. With under 4% of GDP earmarked for education, Japan falls far short of this international benchmark.

During the Symposium discussions, social dialogue emerged as a critical step in addressing Japan’s education crisis. Noting that students’ well-being depends on teachers’ well-being, Edwards encouraged social dialogue all levels and invited Japan to join the International Summit on the Teaching Profession – the EI-OECD annual event that brings together ministers of education and teacher unions in OECD countries to discuss challenges in their education systems.

JTU commitment to teachers and students

The International Symposium concluded with the JTU stressing that educators need decent working conditions and well-being to be able to ensure quality education. To achieve this goal, education funding must increase as a matter of urgency.

The JTU restated its commitment to grow the education union movement in Japan in order to amplify the profession’s political voice and to continue to promote quality education across the country.

The union is also determined to strengthen the Go Public! Fund Education campaign in Japan and to work together with colleagues around the world to expand the campaign at the global level.