(Japan) Struggling to provide for "GROWING NUMBER OF SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS"

Dec 10, 2023, Bollyside: Japan Struggles to Accommodate Growing Number of Special-Needs Students in Education System https://www.bollyinside.com/news/education/japan-struggles-to-accommodate-growing-number-of-special-needs-students-in-education-system/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon&amp=1

Local education authorities in Japan are struggling to secure classrooms for a growing number of special-needs children.

Some special-needs children are being forced to attend classes in school building hallways.

Calls are growing internationally for Japan to integrate special-needs children with their peers in regular classes.

The number of special-needs students in Japan is increasing every year, totaling more than 150,000 as of May.

Japan faces dilemma over special-needs education

Local education authorities across Japan are struggling to secure classrooms for an increasing number of special-needs children. In some cases, special-needs children are even being forced to attend classes in school building hallways. This dilemma is further complicated by the growing international calls for Japan to integrate special-needs children with their peers in regular classes.

The Challenges Faced by Special-Needs Schools

One day in October, cheers from children rang out from a music class being held in a first-floor hallway at the Gunma Prefectural School for Special Education in Isesaki, eastern Japan. Despite the enjoyment of the children, the echoes from the music disrupted the concentration of other children studying in classrooms. The school is rapidly aging, and there is a shortage of classrooms, leading to physical education and athletics practice being held in the hallways.

Increasing Number of Special-Needs Students

Citing the education ministry, while the number of elementary, junior high, and high school students nationwide is falling, the number of special-needs students is increasing every year, totaling more than 150,000 as of May. As of October 2021, there was a shortage of 3,740 classrooms at all of the public special-needs schools across the country. This has put a strain on the resources and infrastructure of special-needs schools.