A recent spot check of working conditions of teachers in Hokkaido, Ishikawa, Tottori and Okinawa by the Board of Audit concluded that teachers in Hokkaido and Okinawa misused their working hours. The Board of Audit will ask the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry to demand those teachers return part of their salaries to the authorities. While inappropriate use of work time should be discouraged, the report sounds more like a witch-hunt than a serious investigation.
The spot check was aimed at teachers who allegedly engaged in union activities during working hours. The Board of Audit also claims teachers took extended breaks or attended education meetings without using their paid holidays. However, calculating working hours in this way involves a misunderstanding of actual working conditions for primary and middle school teachers. Teachers are required to spend long hours at schools even during holidays and some schools monitor teachers' whereabouts. If teachers are not trusted, how can they inspire trust in students?
The report fails to recognize that teaching is a stressful and demanding job that is vital to the development of Japan's young minds. To do their job, teachers need adequate time off, not heavier oversight and stricter accountability. When teachers are forced to attend pointless meetings, supervise circle activities or, as is often the case, simply do nothing other than show up, their time is being wasted.