Caring for the welfare of the teachers, the new law limits teachers' monthly overtime to only 45 hours, from previously 56 hours. (Image via Education in Japan)

Japan's new law allows flexible hour for teachers

Alfonsus Adi Putra
Social & Life
Educations
Dec 05, 2019
1697
On Wednesday, the Japanese government passed a law that allows flexible hours for public school teachers and limits the teachers' monthly overtime to 45 hours. While Japan is well-known for its overtime, the overtime that the teachers have endured has drawn a lot of attention.

Japan’s Minister of Education, Koichi Hagiuda, stated that although the law will not alleviate the workloads, it will make teaching jobs more attractive for those dreaming for it.

The new law gives the option to the local government to have teachers work overtime on certain occasions during the academic year, and allow the teachers to take more day-offs in the summer as the students are on vacation. It is as long as the teachers stick to the monthly overtime limit.

Surveyed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2018, averagely, the teachers in Japan work for 56 hours per week. By far, it was the longest working hour among 48 nations and regions.

With the new law, the system will increase the teachers’ work hours by three hours a week in April, a typically busy period at the beginning of the academic year, and add five day-offs in August.

The new system will be introduced in April 2021.

The opposition, of course, went against the move. They said that the workload is only getting worse which might lead to more depressions and suicides.

Source: https://bit.ly/2YiOkMx

Politics , Regulation , Education , Overtime , Health , Psychology , Teaching , Asia , Japan