EN-ICHI Opens Up the Future of Family and Community
[Info. File] More than 346,000 Students with Long-Term Non-Attendance
Based on MEXT, “Issues in Student Guidance”
In FY2023, the number of elementary and junior high school students who were absent for 30 days or more reached 346,482, marking the 11th consecutive yearly increase. This represents an increase of a little over 47,000 students (15.9%) from the previous year, and such students accounted for 3.7% of total enrollment (up from 3.2% in the previous year). These figures were revealed in MEXT’s survey on student guidance issues, including problematic behavior and non-attendance, at elementary and junior high schools nationwide.
Source: Created by the author based on the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), “FY2023 Survey on Issues in Student Guidance, including Problem Behavior and Non-Attendance” (文部科学省の『令和5年度 児童生徒の問題行動・不登校等生徒指導上の諸課題に関する調査』).
Among the circumstances identified for students not attending school, the most frequently observed was “consultations regarding low motivation toward school life” (32.2%), followed by “consultations regarding anxiety or depressive symptoms” (23.0%), “consultations regarding disrupted daily rhythms” (23.0%), “poor academic performance or frequent failure to submit homework” (15.2%), and “information or consultations about friendship problems other than bullying victimization” (13.3%).
As for whether students received specialized counseling or guidance from institutions inside or outside school, 43.8% “received it at school,” 33.9% “received it from outside institutions,” while 38.8% “did not receive it.” Among those who answered “did not receive it,” 89.1% nevertheless reported receiving ongoing advice and guidance from school staff.
In March 2023, MEXT announced the COCOLO Plan (誰一人取り残されない学びの保障に向けた不登校対策), which emphasizes securing a place of learning for every child. One of the support measures highlighted is “Schools for Diversified Learning”, which may organize special curricula tailored to the actual circumstances of students not attending school. There are currently 35 such schools nationwide (21 public, 14 private).
Current policy also places importance on reflecting out-of-school learning in academic records. In August 2024, a partial revision of the School Education Law Enforcement Regulations enabled learning conducted through public institutions such as education support centers, private facilities such as free schools, and at-home study using ICT to be reflected in the official student record and report cards, at the school’s discretion, when evaluating the learning outcomes of students not attending school (『不登校児童生徒が欠席中に行った学習の成果に係る成績評価について（通知）』令和6年8月29日).
(Published with additions and revisions in the November 2024 issue of "EN-ICHI FORUM")
