The government's first survey of people who could not attend junior high school and had their final academic background after graduating from elementary school revealed that there were more than 800,000 people nationwide.


While many are in their 80s or older, there are also young people in their teens and 20s, and securing learning for those who could not receive compulsory education is an issue.

A census released last month found for the first time the number of people in the country who had graduated from elementary school with a final education, and found that there were 804,293 people as of October.



By age group, people in their 80s and above account for 90% of the total, and it is believed that the background is the difference in the prewar education system and the confusion after the war.



On the other hand, there are 6663 people in their 50s, 6163 people in their 40s, 4221 people in their 30s, 2508 people in their 20s, and 302 people between the ages of 15 and 20 who have not received compulsory education even in the younger generation. ..



Foreigners account for 2.5% of the total, but more than 50% are foreigners in their 50s or younger.



In addition, the number of preschoolers who have not attended the elementary schools that have been surveyed in the past is 94,455.



The government called on the Board of Education nationwide to establish a "night junior high school" in order to guarantee learning opportunities for those who did not receive sufficient education due to various reasons, and four new schools were opened this spring as well. However, it remains in 15 prefectures, and support for learning is an issue.

"Night junior high school" installation is limited to 15 prefectures

By prefecture, the largest number of people with the final academic background graduated from elementary school was Hokkaido with more than 54,000 people, followed by Aichi prefecture with more than 36,000 people, Niigata prefecture with more than 35,000 people, and Osaka. The prefecture has nearly 34,000 people.



On the other hand, only 40 schools in 15 prefectures have set up "night junior high school" for those who could not receive compulsory education, including 4 schools that opened in Hokkaido this spring. ..



Of the areas where there is no night junior high school, three prefectures such as Sendai City and Shizuoka Prefecture will open next year and next year, and six prefectures such as Tottori Prefecture and Gunma Prefecture are considering opening the school.



However, in 23 prefectures including Aichi and Niigata prefectures, where many people have graduated from elementary school, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has received the results of this survey because there is no concrete outlook for the timing of installation. , Informed the Board of Education nationwide in writing to work on the establishment and enhancement of night junior high school.

Expert "Need to guarantee learning according to diverse needs"

Professor Tomoko Kashiwagi of Ritsumeikan University, who is familiar with child poverty and school education, said, "It was assumed that foreigners were not in school as an issue, but even Japanese people in their 50s or younger are about the same as" elementary school graduates. " It is a worrying situation. I should have grasped this situation earlier. There is a big difference in lifetime wages compared to those who have a final academic background, and it is easy for me to fall into poverty. It is assumed that we will be in a situation where we cannot live. In order to correct the disparity, we need education that does not leave each person behind. "



"Night junior high school is a place that guarantees important opportunities for re-learning, and it should be set up, but there is also a big hurdle for those who have difficulty attending work or raising children or those who have stopped attending school once to go to school again. Yes, we need to guarantee learning to meet diverse needs through public services. "