No.43 Inagi City Comprehensive Education Council

(Inagi Newsletter, June 15, 2015 issue)

On May 11, 2015, we held the second Inagi City Comprehensive Education Council meeting of this fiscal year, where we decided on important matters including the educational guidelines. The challenge of educational reform is one of the biggest issues as I begin my second term as the Mayor of Inagi City, but I believe we have successfully started.
This educational reform is based on the amendment of the "Law on the Organization and Administration of Local Education" and was enacted on April 1 of this year. The purpose of the legal amendment is to ensure the political neutrality, continuity, and stability of education, while clarifying responsibilities in local education administration, establishing a rapid management system, and strengthening collaboration with mayors.
Until now, education has been the exclusive responsibility of the Board of Education, and the involvement of the mayor in educational content has been limited, except for the formulation and execution of the business budget. However, there have been opinions and issues such as the unclear distinction between the responsibilities of the Chairperson and the Superintendent, the inability to respond quickly to issues like bullying, and the insufficient reflection of local residents' opinions. As a result, institutional reforms have been implemented, including the establishment of a new Superintendent and the strengthening of collaboration with the mayor, who represents the local public opinion.
In fact, the first meeting was held on April 14, 2015. The secretariat's draft proposed to discuss the educational guidelines at that time, but the mayor's term was until April 26, 2015, and it felt inappropriate for a mayor at the end of their term to decide on future educational policies. Therefore, I proposed to leave it to the new mayor after the election, and the second meeting was held in May 2015.
As a result, I was re-elected as the Mayor of Inagi City, and at this Comprehensive Education Conference, we decided on the educational guidelines. While considering the consistency with the already formulated Second Inagi City Basic Plan for Education Promotion, we emphasized the educational traditions cultivated in Inagi City and named it "Inagi's Educational Guidelines for Nurturing People and Culture through Interaction." Additionally, we included a section in the educational guidelines regarding the adoption of textbooks suitable for nurturing individuals who will thrive in the 21st century, and established the "Policy on the Adoption of Textbooks for Inagi City Public Elementary and Junior High Schools."
In order to contribute to the healthy growth of the children who will support the future of Inagi City and Japan, and to secure opportunities for Lifelong Learning while fostering independent citizens, we will promote policies step by step to achieve this outline that has been formulated.