PART Recent Trends and Developments in Government Policies in Education, Science and Culture
Chapter 6. Promotion of "Social Education"
3 Enrichment of Out-of-School Education for Youths
Now that the educational influences of the family and the community
have been weakened due to urbanization, the increase of nuclear families and
other trends, there is a great need for providing young people, at their respective
developmental levels, with opportunities for rich life experiences. For example
increased direct contact with nature training themselves through positive competition
with their friends, learning about their own community, taking part in voluntary
community service activities, and so forth. It is also an important task to enrich
out-of-school activities of youths, in connection with the introduction of a
five-day school week. In light of these circumstances, the Ministry is promoting
necessary research and investigation into relevant issues and entrusting local
public bodies with the investigation of some of the issues.
Recently, the problem of graphic descriptions of sex and violence
in some comic magazines for boys and girls has been addressed, and government
ministries and agencies are cooperating with one another in tackling this problem.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture has been taking measures in this
regard, including the promotion of environmental purification activities, requests
to local boards of education and youth education organizations to effectively
cope with this problem, and so on.