[Info. File] Teachers' Leave of Absence Due to Mental Illness Exceeds 7,000 for the First Time (in 2023)

From the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Survey on Personnel Administration of Public School Teachers and Staff"

In fiscal year 2023, the number of public school teachers who took leave due to mental illness reached 7,119, exceeding 7,000 for the first time.

According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the number of public school teachers who took leave due to mental illness such as depression had remained around 5,000 for the past 10 years, but increased to 5,897 in fiscal year 2021 and 6,539 in fiscal year 2022.

Source: Created by the author based on the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Survey on the Personnel Administration Situation of Public School Teachers in 2023"

There were 3,443 people on leave, 1,705 in junior high schools, 966 in high schools, and 928 in special needs schools. Of the job seekers, 2,597 were in junior high schools, 966 in high schools, and 928 in special needs schools. Of the job seekers, 2,597 had been on leave for more than a year. While 40% returned to work, 20% resigned (as of April 1, 2024).

Looking at the reasons for leave (as recognized by the Board of Education), the highest percentage was "related to the instruction of students themselves" at 26.5%, followed by "interpersonal relationships in the workplace" at 23.6%, and "related to administrative tasks such as school duties and handling investigations" at 13.2%.

In particular, in elementary schools, "instruction of students" was a major challenge for young teachers, with 46.1% of those in their 20s and 41.7% of those in their 30s citing it. Furthermore, at the high school level, "interpersonal relationships in the workplace" accounted for 34% of both 20- and 30-

year-olds. As a countermeasure to the increase in teachers taking leave, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) is promoting "further advancement of work-style reforms in schools," "mental health measures for teachers," and "improvements to the number of teachers and staff." Regarding "work-style reforms," ​​MEXT plans to make work more transparent by optimizing work based on "three categories of work performed by schools and teachers," reducing the amount of time spent at school, and improving the consultation system for excessive complaints. These measures have been proposed for several years.

In addition, with regard to the revision of the next curriculum guidelines, which was submitted to the Central Council for Education in December of last year, there have been calls for reducing the burden on teachers, such as by adjusting to the standard number of class hours.

Meanwhile, MEXT has also proposed a training system to improve the quality of teachers, and there is a demand for enhanced support in addition to burden reduction, especially for young teachers.

(This article is an edited and revised version of an article from the February 2025 issue of 'EN-ICHI FORUM'.)

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