Although Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promised to provide better conditions for women and mothers as part of his "womenomics," new data from the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry reveals that the number of children on waiting lists to get into nursery schools rose to 23,167 as of April 1, marking the first increase in five years. The result is their mothers will not be participating in the economy anytime soon.
To counteract the increase in those waiting for spots, the government announced plans to offer incentives for the estimated 700,000 qualified teachers now on leave or not employed to start teaching again. Putting these teachers, the majority of whom are women, back to work with better salaries, conditions and benefits should be given higher priority.
While the government did step up efforts to build and equip nursery facilities to help eliminate the long waiting lists for nursery schools, not enough has been done about personnel and staffing. More than adequate physical space, preschool education depends on teachers who are trained, knowledgeable and experienced at working with very young children. Their skills deserve greater respect and higher pay.