Tough Situation of Teachers in Information Technology in Japanese Junior and Senior High Schools

Author Information

Yoshiaki Nakano, Kobe Municipal High School of Science and Technology, Japan
Yasuichi Nakayama, University of Electro-Communications, Japan

Abstract

Japan played a major economic growth after the World War II, which could be realized with high industrial skill because of engineering education such as mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. However, in recent years, everyone agrees that the importance of information technology is rapidly increasing, while the industrial technology is also inevitable. Currently in Japan, IT education is responsible for the subject "Technology" in junior high schools and the subject "Informatics" in senior high schools. It is self-evident that excellent education relies heavily on excellent teachers. The recruitment of teachers in Japan is conducted for each prefectural board of education. The authors asked all the boards of education throughout the country to disclose information and investigated the present situation of hiring teachers. As a result, despite the fact that the number of faculty members in "Technology" in junior high schools and "Informatics" in senior high schools is much less than the required number, almost no faculty recruitment has been conducted, and as a result, It is clear that teachers of unrelated subjects doing classes or letting people without teacher's license temporarily take charge of classes. Because such an environment, class content is far from computer science in many cases, education is almost not done such as programming. Fulfilling the teacher recruitment and in-service teacher training and improving Japan's information technology capabilities, the authors are very worried about the future of Japan.

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• Category: Primary & Secondary Education

Posted by James Alexander Gordon

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