[Info. File] Measures for Teachers’ Work-Style Reform and Securing Human Resources for Teachers

What Work-style Reform Aims to Achieve

Japan’s Central Council for Education (CCE) describes the aim of teachers’ work-style reform as follows:

“By correcting long working hours, we will not only protect teachers’ health but also ensure their well-being by enriching their daily lives and careers as educators, so that they can enhance their humanity and creativity and provide better education for children.”
(CCE, “Urgent Measures to Improve the Environment Surrounding Teachers,” 2023 (中央教育審議会『教師を取り巻く環境整備について緊急的に取り組むべき施策』2023年）).

The CCE also calls for improving teachers’ competencies to build a high-quality corps of education personnel.

According to MEXT’s Teacher Working Conditions Survey (FY2022, final figures; released April 2024)(文部科学省の「教員勤務実態調査」（2022年度、確定値)), average time spent at school on weekdays decreased from FY2016 levels—to 10 hours 45 minutes for elementary teachers, among others. However, the share exceeding the guideline for overtime (45 hours per month) remains high: 64.5% in elementary schools and 77.0% in junior high schools, indicating persistent long hours.

Optimization of Workload

One of the priorities in current initiatives is the optimization of teachers’ duties. In its 2019 report, the Central Council for Education presented the following “three categories of school and teacher responsibilities.”

Source: Compiled by the author

1) Duties that should, in principle, be handled outside the school:
“Responding to students’ commuting to and from school,” “Patrolling after school hours and at night, and responding when students are taken into custody,” “Collecting and managing school-related fees,” and “Coordinating communication with community volunteers.”

2) Duties belonging to schools but not necessarily requiring teachers to handle:
“Responding to surveys and statistics,” “Supervising students during break times,” “Cleaning within the school,”  and "Club activities."

3) Duties belonging to teachers but with potential for workload reduction:
“Supervising during school lunches,” “Lesson preparation,” “Assessing student learning and processing grades,” “Preparing and managing school events,” “Providing career guidance,” and “Supporting students and families in need of assistance.”

Among these, the areas that showed the greatest improvement over the past year were “responding to students’ commuting to and from school,” “collecting and managing school-related fees,” and “lesson preparation” (MEXT, FY2023 Survey of Board of Education Initiatives for Work-Style Reform in Schools, published December 2023; survey reference point October 2023)(文科省『令和5年度 教育委員会における学校の働き方改革のための取組状況調査』).

The report also shares local case studies reflecting the three-category framework, such as:

• Reviewing school start times to give teachers a less rushed morning (Wake Town, Okayama Prefecture)
• Public accounting of school fees so schools no longer handle collection/dunning (Gero City, Gifu Prefecture)
• Using School Management Councils to register individuals and local companies as school supporters for guest lessons and company visits (Kunneppu Town, Hokkaido)
• Halving paperwork burdens in schools by decision of the prefectural superintendent (Yamanashi Prefecture)
• Sharing lesson plans and materials via ICT to shorten preparation time and improve lesson quality (Hirakata City, Osaka Prefecture)

Improvement of Working Conditions

At a CCE special subcommittee, compensation issues are under discussion. Regarding the current Special Salary Act (which adds a uniform 4% salary adjustment in lieu of overtime pay), many argue the framework should be maintained. Reasons cited include the practical difficulty for administrators of managing each teacher’s overtime and the view that time-based overtime pay does not fit the highly professional nature of teachers’ work. Proposals include raising the adjustment to 10% or more.

Creative Approaches to Recruitment Examinations

Furthermore, securing “high-quality teachers” is also a major challenge. To this end, proposals have been made to promote the appeal of the teaching profession, provide support for training, and assist with the repayment of scholarships.

In order to secure human resources, the MEXT has requested local governments to move forward the timing of recruitment examinations, which had traditionally been held around July each year. Starting in 2024, some municipalities have advanced the exam date to before the standard date of June 16, or have begun holding the exam twice a year. For 2025, the standard date has been moved up even further, to May 11.

(Published with additions and revisions in the May 2024 issue of "EN-ICHI FORUM")

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