Last year, 5,897 public school teachers took leave due to mental illness such as depression, an increase of more than 13% from the previous year and a record high.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said, "There may be an impact from the increasing number of difficult decisions, such as events during the corona crisis."
According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the number of public school teachers who took a leave of absence last year was
▽ 2937 at elementary schools,
▽ 1415 at junior
high schools, ▽ 742 at high schools,
▽ 772 at special needs schools, etc., for a
total of 5897 .
The number of people increased by more than 13% from the previous fiscal year, making it the highest number ever.
The percentage of all faculty members was 0.64%.
By age group ,
▽ 30s had the highest number of 1,617 people,
▽ followed by 1,522 people in their 50s, and
▽ 1,478 people in their 40s.
Apart from those on leave, there are 5,047 teachers who have taken leave for more than a month due to mental illness using paid leave, etc., and when combined with teachers on leave, the number rises to 10,944.
Shozo Horino, head of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Elementary and Secondary Education Planning Division, said, "It is possible that the number of tasks that require difficult decisions, such as events during the coronavirus pandemic, is increasing. I was talking.
Childcare leave acquisition rate of male teachers at public schools: 9.3% last year
The survey also looked at the rate of teachers taking parental leave.
The acquisition rate of male teachers at public schools who had children last year was 9.3%, more than three times higher than the previous survey three years ago.
According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the level is still low compared to local public servants, etc., and it is possible that male teachers and those around them think that class teachers should not be replaced in the middle of the year, or that it is difficult to find replacement teachers. There is.
The majority of male teachers took childcare leave for one month or less, 25% of those who took it, and 21% who took it from nine months to one year or less.