In Japan, more and more children are refusing to go to school, a phenomenon called “futoko”. As the numbers keep rising, people are asking if it’s a reflection of the school system, rather than a problem with the pupils themselves.
Ten-year-old Yuta Ito waited until the annual Golden Week holiday last spring to tell his parents how he was feeling – on a family day out he confessed that he no longer wanted to go to school.
For months he had been attending his primary school with great reluctance, often refusing to go at all. He was being bullied and kept fighting with his classmates.
His parents then had three choices: get Yuta to attend school counseling in the hope things would improve, home-school him, or send him to a free school. They chose the latter option.
Now Yuta spends his school days doing whatever he wants – and he’s much happier. Image copyright Getty Images
The term has been variously translated as
Attitudes to futoko have changed over the decades. Until school refusal – then called tokokyoshi, meaning resistance – was considered a type of mental illness. But in 2010 the terminology changed to the more neutral futoko, meaning non-attendance.
On (October, the government announced that absenteeism among elementary and junior high school students had hit a record high, with 164, (children absent for) ****************************************************************** (days or more during (*****************************************, up from (*******************************************************************, (in
Family circumstances, personal issues with friends, and bullying are among the main causes, according to a survey by the ministry of education.
In general, the dropouts reported that they did not get along with other students, or sometimes with the teachers.
That was also the case for Tomoe Morihashi.
“I didn’t feel comfortable with many people,” says the – year-old. “School life was painful.”
Tomoe suffers from selective mutism, which affected her whenever she was out in public.
“I couldn’t speak outside my home or away from my family,” she says.
And she found it hard to obey the rigid set of rules that govern Japanese schools.
“Tights must not be colored, hair must not be dyed, the color of hair elastics is fixed, and they must not be worn on the wrist,” she says.
Many schools in Japan control every aspect of their pupils’ appearance, forcing pupils to dye their brown hair black, or not allowing pupils to wear tights or coats, even in cold weather. In some cases they even decide on the color of pupils’ underwear.
Strict school rules were introduced in the s and s in response to violence and bullying. They relaxed in the 1990 s but have become more severe recently.
These regulations are known as “black school rules”, reflecting a popular term used todescribe companies that exploit their workers.
Now Tomoe, like Yuta, attends Tamagawa Free School in Tokyo where students don’t need to wear a uniform and are free to choose their own activities, according to a plan agreed between the school, parents and pupils. They are encouraged to follow their individual skills and interests.
There are rooms with computers for Japanese and maths classes and a library with books and mangas (Japanese comic books).
The atmosphere is very informal, like a big family. Students meet in common spaces to chat and play together.
“The purpose of this school is to develop people’s social skills,” says Takashi Yoshikawa, the head of the school.
Whether it’s through exercising, playing games or studying, the important thing is to learn not to panic when they’re in a large group .
The school recently moved to a larger space, and about children attend every day.
Image copyright Stephane Bureau du Colombier
The experience opened his eyes to the problems children face. He realized how many students suffered because they were poor, or victims of domestic abuse, and how much this affected their performance at school.
Part of the challenge pupils face is the big class sizes, says Prof Ryo Uchida, an education expert at Nagoya University.
“In classrooms with about 45 students who have to spend a year together, many things can happen, “he says.
Prof Uchida says comradeship is the key ingredient to surviving life in Japan because the population density is so high – if you don’t get along and co-ordinate with others, you won’t survive. This not only applies to schools, but also to public transport and other public spaces, all of which are overcrowded.
“Feeling uncomfortable in such a situation is normal, “says Prof Uchida.
What’s more, in Japan, children stay in the same class from year to year, so if problems occur, going to school can become painful.
“In that sense, the support provided for example by free schools is very meaningful,” Prof Uchida says. “In free schools, they care less about the group and they tend to value the thoughts and feelings of each single student.”
Image copyright Stephane Bureau du Colombier
But although free schools are providing an alternative, the problems within the education system itself remain an issue. For Prof Uchida, not developing students’ diversity is a violation of their human rights – and many agree.
Criticism of “black school rules “and the Japanese school environment is increasing nationwide. In a recent column the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper described them as a violation of human rights and an obstacle to student diversity.
In August, the campaign group “Black kosoku o nakuso! Project” [Let’s get rid of black school rules!] submitted an online petition to the education ministry signed by more than 144, (0 people, asking for an
investigation into unreasonable school rules. Osaka Prefecture ordered all of its high schools to review their rules, with about (**********************************************************************% of schools making changes.
Prof Uchida says the education ministry now appears to accept absenteeism not as an anomaly, but a trend. He sees this as a tacit admission that futoko children are not the problem but that they are reacting to an education system that is failing to provide a welcoming environment.
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Media captionThe women trying to coax Japan’s reclusive young men out of their bedrooms.
At least half a million young men in Japan are thought to have withdrawn from society, and refuse to leave their bedrooms. They’re known as hikikomori.
Their families often don’t know what to do, but one organization is offering “sisters for hire “to help coax these young men out of their isolation.
*********** Rent-a-sister: Coaxing Japan’s hikikomori out of their rooms
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