High school “one terminal per person” Parents' cost burden Large difference in prefectures

Following elementary and junior high schools, the national government is urging local governments to install terminals for each person in high schools, but the burden of terminal costs for parents is 50,000 yen or more from free, which is a big difference depending on the prefecture. In addition, an NHK survey found that some local governments have no prospects for maintenance.

Computers and tablet terminals for learning are provided for each elementary and junior high school student, but there is a need to continue learning even in high school, and a new compulsory subject "Information 1" to learn programming etc. from the new year. From the beginning, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is urging local governments to install terminals for all high school students.

When NHK asked each prefecture about the policy of installing terminals for students entering high school this spring,

21 prefectures answered that they would lend the money at full public expense, and

parents while supplementing it with public expense to a certain extent. In principle, 18 prefectures said that they would

ask

their parents to bear the burden.

Local governments that ask parents to bear the burden are saying that they will take support measures for poor households, but in many cases the burden on parents will be around 50,000 yen, and some terminals are recommended to be in the 90,000 yen range. There are some high schools, and there is a big difference between local governments that are free of charge at public expense.

On the other hand, some prefectures allowed smartphones instead of PCs, and as of the 6th of this month, there were 6 prefectures that were under consideration and had no prospect of terminal maintenance for all new first-year students.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is encouraging the use of "temporary grants for regional revitalization" for infection control when maintaining at public expense or as a measure to reduce the burden on parents, but the local government will continue to provide "national grants." There is no guarantee, and it is difficult to switch to parental burden on the way. "