Will Japan be a country of opportunity?
EBIHARA Shuko / Founder/Director, NPO kuriya
March 22, 2024
Five years have passed since Japan changed course and began accepting foreign nationals as residents in 2019. The plight of high school students with foreign roots, thus far liable to be overlooked, came under focus. The Japanese government has since been taking measures to address the need for Japanese language instruction and career-related education for them. The circle of support for those high school students is widening across Japan.
The survey conducted in 2018 by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) showed that the dropout rate of high school students with foreign roots in need of Japanese language instruction was seven times higher than that of Japanese students. A recent survey indicates that the difference has dropped to five times. In choosing a career path, students with some residency statuses were restricted in their path to regular employment due to restrictions on working hours. However, it has been made possible for them, after graduation, to switch to a status of residence with no restrictions on working hours, and the opportunities for regular employment have been expanded.
I work to support high school students with foreign roots through running career education programs at high schools and making policy recommendations. In the past few years, I have been encouraged to see how several barriers faced by high school students with foreign roots were overcome one by one with the enthusiasm and cooperation of various parties involved. However, if their status of residence is “family stay”, they are not eligible to apply for scholarships from the government. This makes it impossible for students with foreign roots who are financially challenged to receive higher education. Thus, barriers to entering universities still remain. We have been making policy proposals to overcome this for several years, but we have not reached immediate concrete solutions. While making feeble attempts at persuasion of the parties concerned, we have continued to agonize over the issue.
Amidst all this, it was recently reported that the MEXT has begun to study the possibility of revising the scholarship system in order to expand the number of students eligible for scholarships, subject to certain requirements. This is designed to cover students with foreign roots who have come through all the primary and secondary (middle school and high school) stages of the Japanese educational system and intend to find employment after graduation from university and settle in Japan. As one who has spent the past 15 years working with high school students with foreign roots, I am pleased to see the scholarship system revised. But I also believe that the number of children with foreign roots will continue to increase in the middle to long term as the population of Japan declines. From this perspective, I see the expansion of scholarship eligibility as a step of significance way into the future.
It is hoped that the scope of scholarships will be expanded in the future to include high school students with foreign roots who have not finished all the primary and secondary parts of education in Japan. In light of my experiences over the years, I feel, however, that such an expansion of scholarships will need to be undertaken in parallel with the efforts to improve the quality of Japanese-language instruction at high schools and train supporters who can provide career counseling to those students. High school students with foreign roots who come to Japan mid-way through middle school or from high school must learn Japanese within a limited period of three to five years. High-quality Japanese-language instruction is necessary to advance their Japanese language proficiency intensively.
The MEXT has been working to educate high school students with foreign roots through curriculum operation and training programs for Japanese language instruction, and we hope that such efforts will continue. The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education has a system to dispatch Youth Social Workers (YSW) to high schools. In the past, these workers mainly supported Japanese high school students, but in recent years, through multicultural training, they have also begun to support high school students with foreign roots in their career paths. I hope that these efforts will spread to other regions and scholarships will be gradually expanded.
As I interact with children and youths with foreign roots, I sometimes am confronted with barriers built into the systems. Some of these barriers are common to Japanese children and youths as well, and these are difficult to challenge on their own, no matter how hard they try. It is our job as adults to overcome these barriers and solve those challenges.
The revision of the scholarship system referred to above may be a small step, but I do think that it is a big step forward not only for children and youths with foreign roots but also for guaranteeing the diversity and inclusion of the Japanese educational system.
When children wish to “study and learn more”, can they have the opportunity to receive education, regardless of their roots or origin? Will Japan be a country of opportunity, where children can truly benefit from diversity and inclusion in education?
Shuko Ebihara is Founder/Director, NPO kuriya
The survey conducted in 2018 by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) showed that the dropout rate of high school students with foreign roots in need of Japanese language instruction was seven times higher than that of Japanese students. A recent survey indicates that the difference has dropped to five times. In choosing a career path, students with some residency statuses were restricted in their path to regular employment due to restrictions on working hours. However, it has been made possible for them, after graduation, to switch to a status of residence with no restrictions on working hours, and the opportunities for regular employment have been expanded.
I work to support high school students with foreign roots through running career education programs at high schools and making policy recommendations. In the past few years, I have been encouraged to see how several barriers faced by high school students with foreign roots were overcome one by one with the enthusiasm and cooperation of various parties involved. However, if their status of residence is “family stay”, they are not eligible to apply for scholarships from the government. This makes it impossible for students with foreign roots who are financially challenged to receive higher education. Thus, barriers to entering universities still remain. We have been making policy proposals to overcome this for several years, but we have not reached immediate concrete solutions. While making feeble attempts at persuasion of the parties concerned, we have continued to agonize over the issue.
Amidst all this, it was recently reported that the MEXT has begun to study the possibility of revising the scholarship system in order to expand the number of students eligible for scholarships, subject to certain requirements. This is designed to cover students with foreign roots who have come through all the primary and secondary (middle school and high school) stages of the Japanese educational system and intend to find employment after graduation from university and settle in Japan. As one who has spent the past 15 years working with high school students with foreign roots, I am pleased to see the scholarship system revised. But I also believe that the number of children with foreign roots will continue to increase in the middle to long term as the population of Japan declines. From this perspective, I see the expansion of scholarship eligibility as a step of significance way into the future.
It is hoped that the scope of scholarships will be expanded in the future to include high school students with foreign roots who have not finished all the primary and secondary parts of education in Japan. In light of my experiences over the years, I feel, however, that such an expansion of scholarships will need to be undertaken in parallel with the efforts to improve the quality of Japanese-language instruction at high schools and train supporters who can provide career counseling to those students. High school students with foreign roots who come to Japan mid-way through middle school or from high school must learn Japanese within a limited period of three to five years. High-quality Japanese-language instruction is necessary to advance their Japanese language proficiency intensively.
The MEXT has been working to educate high school students with foreign roots through curriculum operation and training programs for Japanese language instruction, and we hope that such efforts will continue. The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education has a system to dispatch Youth Social Workers (YSW) to high schools. In the past, these workers mainly supported Japanese high school students, but in recent years, through multicultural training, they have also begun to support high school students with foreign roots in their career paths. I hope that these efforts will spread to other regions and scholarships will be gradually expanded.
As I interact with children and youths with foreign roots, I sometimes am confronted with barriers built into the systems. Some of these barriers are common to Japanese children and youths as well, and these are difficult to challenge on their own, no matter how hard they try. It is our job as adults to overcome these barriers and solve those challenges.
The revision of the scholarship system referred to above may be a small step, but I do think that it is a big step forward not only for children and youths with foreign roots but also for guaranteeing the diversity and inclusion of the Japanese educational system.
When children wish to “study and learn more”, can they have the opportunity to receive education, regardless of their roots or origin? Will Japan be a country of opportunity, where children can truly benefit from diversity and inclusion in education?
Shuko Ebihara is Founder/Director, NPO kuriya
The English-Speaking Union of Japan
「日本で育って良かった」と思える社会へ
海老原 周子 / 一般社団法人 kuriya 代表
2024年 3月 22日
2019年に日本が外国人受け入れに舵を切ってから5年経った。これまで見過ごされがちであった外国ルーツの高校生にも焦点が当たるようになり、日本語指導やキャリア教育などの必要性が国の施策に入り、全国で高校生支援の輪が広がりつつある。
2018年度に文科省が実施した調査では、日本語指導が必要な外国人高校生等の中退率は日本人と比べて7倍だったが、最新の調査では5倍にと下がった。進路選択において、一部の在留資格を持つ生徒は就労時間の制限により、正規雇用への道が制約されていた。しかし、卒業後に就労時間に制限のない在留資格に切り替えることができるようになり、正規就労の機会が広がった。
筆者は、外国人の高校生・若者の支援をしている。高校でのキャリア教育プログラムや政策提言をしてきたが、ここ数年は、外国ルーツの高校生が直面していた幾つもの障壁が、様々な関係者の熱意と協力のもと、一つ一つ乗り越えていく様子を心強く感じる中、在留資格が「家族滞在」の場合、国からの奨学金の申請対象外であるため、経済的に困難な外国ルーツの生徒が高等教育を受けにくい状況があり、大学進学への壁が依然として残っていた。数年前から政策提言をしてきたものの、すぐには具体的な解決策には至らず、細々と働きかけを続けながら悶々としていた。
そのような中、先日、文部科学省が奨学金の対象者の拡大に向けて、一定要件のもと、制度改正に向けて検討を始めたという報道がなされた。日本の小学校、中学校、高校を全て卒業し、かつ大学卒業後も国内で就労して定着する意思のある外国人を対象とする。15年間、外国ルーツの高校生達と過ごしてきた身として、この改正を嬉しく思うと共に、中長期的な視点からも、人口減少に伴い、引き続き外国人の子ども達の増加が見込まれる中、この奨学金対象の拡大は、今後を見越した上でも重要な措置であると認識している。
日本の小中高を全て卒業していない高校生に対しても、将来的には、奨学金の対象が拡大されることを望むものの、これまでの経験から、対象を更に拡大するためには、高校現場における日本語指導の質の向上や、外国人高校生の進路相談に対応できる支援者を育成するといった取り組みと合わせて進めていく必要がある。中学の途中や高校から来日した高校生は、大学進学までの3年から5年という限られた年数の中で、日本語を習得せねばならず、集中して日本語の力を伸ばすためには、質の高い日本語指導の教育が必要である。文部科学省は、日本語指導のカリキュラム運用や研修事業を通じて、外国人高校生への教育に取り組んでおり、引き続きこのような取り組みが継続されることを願っている。
また東京都教育委員会には、高校へのユースソーシャルワーカー派遣制度があり、これまで主には日本人の高校生を支援していたが、近年は多文化研修を通じて、外国人高校生の進路支援も対応するようになっている。これらの取り組みが他地域にも広がり、段階的に奨学金の対象が拡大されることを期待している。
外国人の子どもや若者と接していると、制度の壁に直面する事がある。中には日本人の子ども・若者にとって共通する課題もあり、それらは、子どもがどれだけ頑張っても、自らの力では変えることは難しい。そういった壁を乗り越え、課題を解決していくのは、大人である私たちの仕事だと思っている。今回の改正は、小さな一歩かもしれないが、外国人の子ども・若者のためだけに留まらず、教育制度における多様性と包括性の担保という視点からも、今後に向けた大きな一歩だと感じている。
「もっと勉強したい、学びたい」と希望したときに、生い立ちや出自に関わらず、多様な背景や特性を持つ子どもが教育の機会を得られる、そのような社会へと日本はなっていけるだろうか。
筆者は一般社団法人kuriya代表
2018年度に文科省が実施した調査では、日本語指導が必要な外国人高校生等の中退率は日本人と比べて7倍だったが、最新の調査では5倍にと下がった。進路選択において、一部の在留資格を持つ生徒は就労時間の制限により、正規雇用への道が制約されていた。しかし、卒業後に就労時間に制限のない在留資格に切り替えることができるようになり、正規就労の機会が広がった。
筆者は、外国人の高校生・若者の支援をしている。高校でのキャリア教育プログラムや政策提言をしてきたが、ここ数年は、外国ルーツの高校生が直面していた幾つもの障壁が、様々な関係者の熱意と協力のもと、一つ一つ乗り越えていく様子を心強く感じる中、在留資格が「家族滞在」の場合、国からの奨学金の申請対象外であるため、経済的に困難な外国ルーツの生徒が高等教育を受けにくい状況があり、大学進学への壁が依然として残っていた。数年前から政策提言をしてきたものの、すぐには具体的な解決策には至らず、細々と働きかけを続けながら悶々としていた。
そのような中、先日、文部科学省が奨学金の対象者の拡大に向けて、一定要件のもと、制度改正に向けて検討を始めたという報道がなされた。日本の小学校、中学校、高校を全て卒業し、かつ大学卒業後も国内で就労して定着する意思のある外国人を対象とする。15年間、外国ルーツの高校生達と過ごしてきた身として、この改正を嬉しく思うと共に、中長期的な視点からも、人口減少に伴い、引き続き外国人の子ども達の増加が見込まれる中、この奨学金対象の拡大は、今後を見越した上でも重要な措置であると認識している。
日本の小中高を全て卒業していない高校生に対しても、将来的には、奨学金の対象が拡大されることを望むものの、これまでの経験から、対象を更に拡大するためには、高校現場における日本語指導の質の向上や、外国人高校生の進路相談に対応できる支援者を育成するといった取り組みと合わせて進めていく必要がある。中学の途中や高校から来日した高校生は、大学進学までの3年から5年という限られた年数の中で、日本語を習得せねばならず、集中して日本語の力を伸ばすためには、質の高い日本語指導の教育が必要である。文部科学省は、日本語指導のカリキュラム運用や研修事業を通じて、外国人高校生への教育に取り組んでおり、引き続きこのような取り組みが継続されることを願っている。
また東京都教育委員会には、高校へのユースソーシャルワーカー派遣制度があり、これまで主には日本人の高校生を支援していたが、近年は多文化研修を通じて、外国人高校生の進路支援も対応するようになっている。これらの取り組みが他地域にも広がり、段階的に奨学金の対象が拡大されることを期待している。
外国人の子どもや若者と接していると、制度の壁に直面する事がある。中には日本人の子ども・若者にとって共通する課題もあり、それらは、子どもがどれだけ頑張っても、自らの力では変えることは難しい。そういった壁を乗り越え、課題を解決していくのは、大人である私たちの仕事だと思っている。今回の改正は、小さな一歩かもしれないが、外国人の子ども・若者のためだけに留まらず、教育制度における多様性と包括性の担保という視点からも、今後に向けた大きな一歩だと感じている。
「もっと勉強したい、学びたい」と希望したときに、生い立ちや出自に関わらず、多様な背景や特性を持つ子どもが教育の機会を得られる、そのような社会へと日本はなっていけるだろうか。
筆者は一般社団法人kuriya代表
一般社団法人 日本英語交流連盟