The latest survey results from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology are shocking. In 2023, the number of students in public and private primary and secondary schools in Japan who were identified as "truant" reached about 346000, a significant increase of 15.9% compared to the previous academic year, reaching about 47000, setting a new historical high.
In Japan, "absenteeism" has a clear definition, which refers to not attending school for more than 30 days each year due to reasons other than illness or economic reasons. It is worth noting that the number of Japanese public and private primary and secondary school students who skip classes has been increasing for 11 consecutive years, and both primary and secondary schools have shown a trend of more students skipping classes as the academic year increases. The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology pointed out that there are problems in the connection between kindergartens, daycare centers, and primary schools.
According to relevant reports, among the many reasons why students are unwilling to go to school, "lack of motivation" ranks first, followed closely by "anxiety and depression". As many as 134000 students who skipped classes in 2023 have not received professional guidance and counseling from counselors or civil society organizations both on and off campus. In response, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology stated, "We are strengthening our communication with teachers such as homeroom teachers, and 'truant' students cannot be ignored
In addition, there were approximately 733000 incidents of student bullying and 1306 "serious incidents" (students suspected of suffering serious physical and mental health injuries or being forced to miss classes for a long time) in Japan in 2023, both breaking historical records. Analysis suggests that this is due to people's increasing awareness of bullying behavior.
The phenomenon of over 300000 primary and secondary school students skipping classes reflects many problems in the field of education in Japan, which urgently need the attention and solution of the whole society.
(Editer：admin)
