Education minister Hakubun Shimomura on Friday harshly criticized Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu for disclosing the names of public elementary schools that scored above average in this year's nationwide achievement test, saying the move goes against ministry rules.
Shimomura also said the ministry will consider "preventive measures" to avoid a repeat violation. This could include refusing to share the results of future achievement test with municipalities that break the rules.
On Thursday, Kawakatsu posted on the Shizuoka Prefectural Government's website the names of 262 principals whose sixth-graders scored above average in Japanese, without obtaining consent from the municipal board of education. He also announced the average percentage of correct answers for elementary schools in tests given in four subjects in the prefecture's 35 cities and towns.