TOKYOApril 19 (News On Japan) – The Special Committee of the Central Council for Education, which focuses on salary systems and working style reforms for teachers, has proposed a draft to significantly increase additional compensation for teachers.
It is proposed to increase this remuneration, intended to compensate for overtime, from the current 4% of the monthly salary to at least 10%. This adjustment, the first of its kind in fifty years, maintains the existing system where overtime compensation does not correspond to actual hours worked.
As the teacher shortage continues and working hours become longer, the committee, under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, has been examining these reforms since last June. On the 19th, they presented their proposal that addresses the payment structure established by the “Special Law on Salaries” (Kyutokuho) more than fifty years ago. This law initially assumed approximately 8 hours of overtime per month.
The proposed increase to 10% would, according to the ministry’s calculations, increase the monthly salary of a 32-year-old teacher from about 12,000 yen to about 30,000 yen on a basic salary of 300,000 yen. Implementing this change would require an amendment to the Kyutokuho, which could potentially increase government spending by 210 billion yen.
Despite the proposed wage increase, criticism remains of the Kyutokuho framework itself, which does not calculate overtime based on actual hours worked. The design champions this approach by emphasizing the unique and spontaneous nature of teaching, which often involves creativity and is not easily confined within strict working hours.
Furthermore, the proposal introduces several improvements to the educational framework:
- Establishing an intermediate role between “teacher” and “senior teacher” that offers higher pay.
- Additional allowances for homeroom teachers and improvements in management allowances.
- Expansion of the specialized subject teacher system from the 5th and 6th grade to the 3rd and 4th grade.
- Increased deployment of support staff to better assist teachers and manage student needs.
The committee aims to conclude its discussions in May, which will address both the urgent need for better compensation and broader reform of working conditions in education.
Source: NHK
