What is the "double" difference between Japanese and foreigners?

February 28, 17:00

About 1 in 30 Japanese children.

About 1 in 15 foreign children.

This is the percentage of children studying in "special support classes" at elementary and junior high schools in Japan.

(NHK Summary)

Foreign children are studying twice as much in special needs classes.

A Japanese-Brazilian woman who once served as student council president in high school studied in a special needs class for four years in elementary school.

She's a 20-year-old woman who says, "I don't regret it and I've learned it," but she still has no idea why, and there's something "moody" in her mind. It is said that there is.

What is happening in the place where children learn?

(Interviewed by Yoko Fujita, Social Affairs Department, edited by Takako Kinoshita, International Affairs Department)

Is it slower to understand than people?

"I started going to the special needs class little by little, and the place to put the school bag and all the desks became the classroom of the special needs class. Since then, I have been in that classroom all the time."

Sayuri Karube (20), a Japanese-Brazilian, speaks this way.

She was born in Fukui Prefecture as the eldest daughter of three siblings, and after she attended a kindergarten in the prefecture, she attended a public school near her home from elementary school to high school.

She grew up in an environment where she speaks two languages: Portuguese, the mother tongue of her parents at home, and Japanese outside.

It is now bilingual, literate and literate in both languages.

However, Sayuri studied in elementary school, and she studied in a special support class for four years from the second grade to the fifth grade.

She has never been diagnosed with disabilities such as intellectual or developmental disabilities, and she says she is still uncertain about her reasons.

She also interviewed the city's board of education, but she said, "When she enters a special needs class, she has been inspected and discussed with her parents before agreeing." So she didn't know the details at that time.

Sayuri:

"At that time, I didn't really wonder why I was in a special needs class.

My parents spoke Portuguese, so when I was in the lower grades, I understood Japanese better than people. I thought it was because I was late and I couldn't do my homework by myself. "

I'm not confident in what I do

Before Sayuri started studying in the special needs class, her mother, Fabiana, was advised by the school to take only the national language and mathematics in the special needs class because "Japanese is behind other children". It is called Ta.

Her mother initially thought she was like a Japanese language class, and she was the first to visit her class, and she taught Sayuri with children with disabilities. It seems that he noticed that he was receiving it.

She recalls that Sayuri seemed to lose her confidence after she entered the special needs class, and her mother felt uneasy every time she visited her class.

She said at the time she took Sayuri to the hospital just in case, but she couldn't diagnose her intellectual disability and other disabilities, and her doctor didn't need to enter a special needs class. It seems that it was done.

Wouldn't it be better to return her daughter to her regular class?

Her parents had a lot of discussions with the school, but Sayuri finally returned to regular class four years later.

It was time for her to be in sixth grade.

After returning to her regular class, she now becomes worried about Sayuri herself.

For four years in her special needs class, she was a small group and studied in a curriculum that was very different from her regular class, such as studying the content of the lower grades.

I couldn't keep up with the class, and when I realized it, Sayuri was scared to even speak out in the classroom.

"I can't say'yes' even if my name is called in class. I can only keep silent until the teacher or the other child gives up. I feel like saying something unusual. I was very scared to talk. I have

learned in a special support class and I don't regret it, but I'm studying differently from ordinary people, or I grew up in a course. I'm not confident in doing it. I still think that there are some differences compared to other people. "

What are the criteria for entering a special needs class?

Then, what kind of criteria and methods are used to judge children who enter special needs classes?

When I looked it up, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology issued a notice in 2013 to the Board of Education nationwide, saying, "About consistent support from an early stage for children with disabilities."

The notice listed the following seven types of disabilities for special needs classes:

"Intellectual disability", "Physical disability", "Sickness / physical weakness", "Weak vision", "Dearness", "Language disorder", "Autism / emotional disorder

" Only children with disabilities will be able to enter because of "insufficient Japanese proficiency".

So who and how do you know if you have these disabilities?

The notification provides criteria for each of the seven failures.

For example, intellectual disability is written as follows.

Intellectual disability: There is a delay in intellectual development, there is a slight difficulty in communicating with others, some assistance is required to carry out daily life, and it is difficult to adapt to social life to some extent.

On the other hand, regarding the judgment of whether or not there is a disability, it was written as follows.

"When determining a disability, comprehensively and carefully from the perspectives of pedagogy, medicine, psychology, etc., based on observations and inspections by teachers who have experience in educating children with disabilities, diagnosis by specialists, etc."

In other words, not only "should we finally recommend a special support class" but also "whether or not there is a disability" is judged by the board of education of the municipality, not by a specialized doctor. ..

There was no description about how to judge in the case of a foreign child like Mr. Sayuri, and it seemed that there were variations in each region, such as whether to have an interpreter for the inspection.

Double the difference in enrollment rate in special needs classes

This time, when I interviewed experts and organizations that support foreigners and children with foreign roots, I heard many of the following points.

"I feel that the percentage of foreign children in special needs classes is clearly higher than that of Japanese."

"Some foreign parents are worried that'in Japanese schools, just because they are foreigners, they are enrolled in special needs classes.'"

However, there were no national findings to show this.

Therefore, I decided to ask 25 local governments in eight prefectures who were members of the "City Council for Foreign Residents" created by local governments where many foreigners live as of 2016.

As a result, 20 cities and towns responded, and the results were as follows.

<< What is the enrollment rate of special support classes in public elementary and junior high schools?

》 (As of May 1, 2021)

Enrollment rate of Japanese children 3.3% Enrollment rate of

foreign children 6.9%

* The "enrollment rate of Japanese children" is the percentage of Japanese children studying in special needs classes.

The "enrollment rate of foreign children" is the percentage of foreign children studying in special needs classes.

It was found that the number of children studying in special needs classes at public elementary and junior high schools is about 1 in 30 for Japanese and 1 in 15 for foreigners, which is a double difference.

How should we look at this difference?

Dr. Satoshi Takahashi, a doctor who has examined many foreign children at the Toyota City Children Development Center in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, says that growing up in an environment of different languages ​​and cultures will increase the number of children with some kind of disability. I point out that there is no scientific basis.

"Research has shown that there is no difference in the'prevalence'of developing any disability between children who originally lived in developed countries and children who have moved to Japan. There is no high proportion of children with disabilities because the foreign children who live there are foreigners or come from different ethnic cultures. "

Where do you decide whether to study in a special needs class?

So why is there a “double difference” in the proportion of children enrolled in special needs classes between Japanese and foreign children?

This time, I was able to interview one of the local governments that responded to the questionnaire, Iida City, Nagano Prefecture, on how to judge foreign children studying in special needs classes.

On the day I visited, an expert meeting set up by the Board of Education was held.

The members are 16 experts in pedagogy and psychology.

This is the place to make the final decision on whether children entering elementary school or newly moving to Iida City have disabilities and should recommend special needs classes this spring.

At the meeting, a large amount of materials were in the hands of the members.

Since it is a document that summarizes the results of developmental tests and intelligence tests, records of behavioral observations at nursery schools and schools, and the contents of interviews with parents, each child should be carefully examined over time. I was told that I was there.

In Iida City, if the child's mother tongue is not Japanese, we make every effort to provide an interpreter for examinations and interviews.

However, because there are few medical institutions in the area, examinations are often conducted by teachers of special needs classes, and it is said that there are many cases where it is difficult to make a decision.

"Even if you do an examination, do you not understand Japanese in the first place, or do you not understand because there is a real intellectual delay? Furthermore, you can determine whether you are mentally unstable due to different cultures and lifestyles. Is very difficult "(member of the expert committee)

There is a risk that children without disabilities will be in special needs classes

Mr. Takahashi, a doctor, thinks that "difficulty in identifying intellectual disabilities" is behind the fact that many foreign children are enrolled in special needs classes.

This time, NHK conducted a survey of 25 cities and towns and received responses from 20 cities and towns, and the results supported this.

When asked about the number of people with different disabilities for the seven disabilities covered by the special needs class, answers were collected from 12 cities and towns.

Mr. Takahashi analyzes this result as follows.

Dr. Osamu Takahashi

"Although the number of responses is limited, foreign children have an extremely high rate of intellectual disabilities and a large number of people. This is the main reason why foreign children have a high enrollment rate in special needs classes. It is thought that it is a factor. "

According to Mr. Takahashi, the judgment of a child's intellectual disability should be carefully considered in the case of foreign children, as language ability and family / cultural background affect the results. am.

In addition, the test used when making a judgment is a test developed for Japanese children, and foreigners who do not have sufficient Japanese proficiency and do not understand Japanese culture well. He points out that if the intelligence is evaluated using it for children in Japan, it may result in a low evaluation.

"Currently, it is thought that children without intellectual disabilities are being recommended for special needs classes. First, the process of making such a decision regarding foreign children who entered special needs classes. I think it is necessary to know exactly. "

On top of that, Mr. Takahashi says that it is necessary for the country to prepare opportunities for learning, including Japanese, for foreigners and children with foreign roots.

Dr. Osamu Takahashi

"I think there are two issues in the Japanese education system for foreign children. One is" special support education "for children with disabilities. The other is different. Education to solve and solve the problems faced by living in culture.

Therefore, if an educational environment is provided in which Japanese language education is provided and Japanese culture can be learned separately from "special support education", children will be healthy. I think it will lead to great growth and education. "

Opportunity to receive the necessary education so that it will not be lost

Sayuri, who was studying in a special needs class when she was in elementary school, has been enthusiastic about her studies, such as being selected as the student council president at a part-time high school, but she has always had a complex in her academic ability.

However, at the age of 20, Sayuri has begun a new challenge.

While she worked as a temporary worker, she started attending a local cram school.

She said, "I wonder if she was a little more confident in herself than before."

Sayuri, who says that the problem has gradually disappeared, taught me to shy.

In the future, I am aiming to go on to a university or vocational school that I have given up so far because I want to work to support foreigners living in Japan like myself.

In addition, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is conducting a nationwide survey for the first time this year on the actual situation of foreigners enrolled in special needs classes and children with foreign roots, and the results are expected to be finalized within the year.

Don't lose the opportunity to get the education your child needs, even if he has roots in a foreign country.

I would like to continue to cover the learning of these children.

Yoko Fujita ,

Reporter of the Social Affairs Department Joined the station in

2016

After working at the Fukui Bureau, she has been in charge of the Metropolitan Police Department for

three years

now. am