外国の方もおられます

2020.10.20（火）
I'd like to tell you about two organizations in Japan with which I am involved.
The first organization is an NPO the official name of which is: 一般社団法人岡山に夜間中学校つくる会. That translates roughly to: NPO Committee to Create an Evening Middle School in Okayama. I'll abbreviate the name as CCEMSO.
The second organization is a school in Okayama at which adults learn Japan's middle school curriculum in classes held at night. But let me start with the CCEMSO, an NPO I founded in December 2018.
The CCEMSO aims to establish, in Okayama, a public evening middle school meeting the educational needs of adults lacking basic reading, writing and math skills. Here is some background information concerning public evening middle schools in Japan, and the situation in Okayama.
In Japan, education is compulsory for nine years. However, students may be issued middle school graduation diplomas as a mere formality after they stop attending school, even with their coursework left uncompleted.
Reasons for school absenteeism include illness, bullying, a need to earn money to support the family, and a dysfunctional home life.
As you might expect, adults who lack basic reading, writing and calculating skills face serious obstacles in finding and keeping gainful employment, and therefore in supporting themselves. They also face inconveniences and embarrassing situations in daily life, such as when required to fill in forms at public offices or in medical clinics.
Evening middle schools are one means of helping such adults obtain basic life skills.
There are two types of evening middle schools in Japan: Schools operated in public middle schools by local boards of education (夜間中学校 yakan chūgakkō; approximately 35 nationwide), and schools operated by private individuals or groups (自主夜間中学校 jishu yakan chūgakkō; approximately 40 nationwide).
In December 2016, Japan's central government enacted a law aimed at creating equal opportunity in education. One basic guideline of the act calls for the creation of at least one public evening middle school in each prefecture that lacks one.
Following enactment of this law, Okayama Prefecture's Education Bureau attempted to gauge the degree of demand among residents of the prefecture for a public evening middle school by making leaflets available in community centers, public libraries, welfare facilities, public employment offices and other venues. The leaflets generated 23 general inquiries and 5 specific requests for the creation of such a school, a response the Education Bureau interpreted as indicating insufficient demand.
However, I was certain there is actually a much greater demand in Okayama than the response to the leaflet initiative might suggest. Determined to prove the degree of demand, in April 2017 I founded and began operating the Okayama Jishu Yakan Chūgakkō (岡山自主夜間中学校).
The OJYC started with zero students. Now, three and a half years later, the school has 184 volunteers on staff, teaching and assisting 135 students not only from Japan but also from countries such as China, Vietnam, Brazil and the Philippines.
It may seem a contradiction for the operator of a private evening middle school to be the director of a committee seeking the establishment of a public evening middle school, but I believe there is a need for both. Here is why.
According to present rules, public elementary evening schools are required to hold classes five times a week, and students are required in principle to graduate in three years.
In reality, however, many adult students who wish to study the middle school curriculum at night are unable to attend five evenings a week, Monday through Friday, or to complete the curriculum within three years due to work obligations or family commitments.
For that reason, I intend to continue operating the OJYC even in the event the city of Okayama or other municipality in Okayama Prefecture does eventually open a public evening middle school, which as I have said is the goal of the CCEMSO.
The number of enrollees at the OJYC demonstrates a clear demand among adults in Okayama for a place to study the middle school curriculum. However, the Education Bureau prefers to avoid incurring the administrative overhead and costs involved in establishing and operating a public evening middle school. The Bureau prefers that the burden of educating adult learners be assumed by volunteers at community centers or by jishu yakan chūgakkō such as the OJYC.
Nearly all of OYJU's students have extremely limited incomes. For that reason, the school charges students no tuition. Nor does the school accept public funds. The funds required to rent classroom space, furnish study materials, and cover miscellaneous expenditures are provided by people of good will.
If you too would care to help underwrite the operating costs of the OYJC and advance the mission of the CCEMSO, your generous support will be greatly appreciated by the volunteer staff and the students alike. Thank you for your interest.