Japan shouldn't rush decision on academic year, scholars caution

In the petition, submitted to the education ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office, the Japanese Educational Research Association stressed the need for “thorough, nationwide discussions” on the abruptly floated idea of shifting the start of Japan’s academic year to fall from the current April.

The rationale for such a historic shift — which, if realized, would call for a root-and-branch overhaul of the nation’s century-old school calendar — is to give teachers and students a chance to wait until the coronavirus may have relented in September before starting school life afresh. Most schools currently remain closed due to the virus, making them hard-pressed to complete the designated curriculum if the current year ends next April as scheduled.

Despite increasing calls for the September enrollment, the group on Monday said the shift “could further confuse and exacerbate the current situation.”

The change, it cautioned, would not only necessitate a shakeup of the current educational system that could eventually take “10 years or more” to follow through on, but also have huge financial implications.

For example, pushing back the official start of the current academic year to September might ignite calls for universities to reimburse students for tuition from April to August, even though many of them have already started teaching classes — albeit remotely — for this semester. Such a massive refund could cost private universities alone nearly ¥1 trillion, said Teruyuki Hirota, professor of education sociology at Nihon University, at a news conference in Tokyo.

While proponents for the shift often claim the September enrollment would bring Japan in line with global standards and potentially facilitate exchange student programs in universities, the petitioners said implications for lower-level education have largely gone unnoticed.