An education resuscitation panel of the Abe administration has come up with a proposal to simplify the board of education system. But its proposal will weaken the power of boards of education and increase the influence of local government heads, such as mayors.
It's possible that the ideology of local government leaders will be directly reflected in the content of education at the local level, thus destroying neutrality of education. There is also the danger that each time a local government head changes after an election, education will undergo changes.
The current board of education system is not free of problems. But the Central Education Council, which will work out details of reform on the basis of the panel's proposal, should not jump on the panel's idea. Instead it should consider ways to make current boards of education more active and efficient.