PART Recent Trends and Developments in Government Policies in Education, Science and Culture
Chapter 1 Implementation of Educational Reform
2 Progress of Educational Reform
(3) Reorganization of the National Institute for Educational Research
In accordance with a recommendation offered by the National
Council on Educational Reform, the National Institute for Educational Research,
in May 1989, undertook a major reorganization of its structure with the aim of
strengthening its research functions for contributing to the Ministry's policy-making
activities, and of enhancing its functions as a national research center concerning
school curricula, teaching materials, teaching methods, etc. Under this reorganization,
the institute created a Research Division of Lifelong Learning Systems in October
1989 and a Research Division of Civics Education in October 1990 to strengthen
its research structure.
In order to carry out educational reform more effectively, it
is important for the Ministry to conduct practical and concrete studies regarding
new issues to be dealt with by the Ministry and to utilize the findings of these
studies in planning and formulating relevant policies and measures. With this
recognition, in 1989 the Ministry began to commission non-governmental research
organs to conduct "special studies related to the implementation of educational
reform."