Non-Japanese take up school system woes

The Japan Times (Kyodo News)
Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2006
Source: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20061128a7.html

About 120 people, including non-Japanese residents, discussed and shared problems related to the education of their children, including bullying in schools and language troubles, at a Tokyo forum Sunday.

Guest speakers reported that about 20 percent to 30 percent of children of so-called "newcomer" foreigners who have arrived in Japan in recent years do not go to school. Participants in the forum included people from China and Iran as well as permanent Korean residents of Japan.

Journalist Eder Hashizume urged public schools to improve the language curriculum for non-Japanese students, saying, "Brazilian children are only halfway to speaking fluent Japanese and Portuguese."

Hashizume is from Oizumi, Gunma Prefecture, which hosts a large community of Brazilians.

Tearful women from Brazil and Myanmar called for help to eradicate the bullying of their children at school and criticized teachers for failing to help non-Japanese students in trouble.

Lawyer Yasuko Morooka, who handles violations of foreigners' human rights, told the forum that Japanese authorities "need to ensure the rights of non-Japanese children to receive (a proper) education and authorize more schools for foreigners."

The event was organized by No Border 2006, a group of volunteers who have formed a network for foreign residents in Japan from different ethnic backgrounds.

Japanese and Foreign residents discuss problems with children's education during a forum at Hosei University in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on Sunday. KYODO PHOTO

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Foreign residents discuss education, school problems

Japan Today (Kyodo)
Monday, November 27, 2006 at 07:02 EST
Source: http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/391589

TOKYO — About 120 people, including non-Japanese residents, discussed and shared problems related to the education of their children, such as bullying in schools and language troubles, at a Tokyo forum Sunday.

Guest speakers reported that about 20 to 30% of the children of so-called "newcomer" foreigners who came to Japan in recent years do not go to school. Journalist Eder Hashizume urged Japan's public schools to improve the language curriculum for non-Japanese students. Tearful women from Brazil and Myanmar called for help to eradicate the bullying of their children at school and criticized teachers for failing to help non-Japanese students in trouble. The event was organized by No Border 2006, a group of volunteers who have formed a network for foreign residents in Japan from different ethnic backgrounds.

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