May 02, 2020 (NHK) - Japan's education ministry is set to release guidelines on how schools closed due to the coronavirus outbreak could resume classes in stages.
Education minister Hagiuda Koichi said on Friday that local education boards across Japan will be informed of the guidelines the same day.
Hagiuda said the coronavirus will require a long-term response, and it must go in tandem with efforts to guarantee education. He stressed the importance of resuming school activities in stages.
The guidelines propose staggered attendance by grade or class, with priority given to the first and final grades of elementary schools and seniors at junior high schools.
Another proposal is to divide a class into several groups and use vacant classrooms to ensure that students maintain proper distancing.
The school shutdown has led to calls by some, including prefectural governors and students, to change the start of the academic year from April to September.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide told reporters on Friday that such a change would have major social repercussions.
He said the government would like to first monitor efforts to resume education. He said schools are now pressing ahead with efforts to provide remote education through the Internet and other means. Suga added that the education ministry and others will study the school-year change, while closely watching the trends in infections.
