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The revision of the Fundamental Law of Education----Is it necessary?
Today, not a few Japanese citizens support the revision of the Fundamental Law of Education, which has been equivalent to the Constitution in the field of education since the end of WW��.
Those who require the revision argue that the Fundamental Law of Education is responsible for
spate of freak crimes, brutal murders and other wrongdoings committed by the youth because
of its excessive emphasis on individual values. They argue that the law’s undue emphasis on individuals has made young people self-centered. They conclude the shift of emphasis from
individual values to patriotism as a necessary measure to save education, which means the
revision of the Fundamental Law of Education.
Apparently, the argument lacks logics. Firstly, the number of crimes committed by youngsters
actually has not increased since the end of WW��. The number appears to be increasing and the nature of the crimes more “freak and brutal” due to their exposure to the media
compared to those in the past time. Secondly, the causal relationship between “self-centered” young people and the principle of the Fundamental Law of Education has not been proved.
Raising the principle doesn’t necessarily mean putting the principle into the practice. How
far the post-war education has actually been kept under control of the Fundamental Law of
Education is nearly impossible to measure. How far each “self-centered” youngster has been kept under influence of school education is difficult to measure as well. Today’s children and young people have been exposed to media such as TV and the Internet and have been much
influenced by them. The affluent post-war society has provided them with a lot of expensive
toys and gadgets while advertisement perpetually urges them to consume more. Nuclear family
has become pr eval ent while a local community has lost its role it used to perform. All of
these have contributed to the environment in which today’s children and young people live.
It would not be logical to elicit one factor out of these and attribute the emergence of
“self-centered” young people to the factor.
In conclusion, the argument that the revision of the Fundamental Law of Education is
necessary to save education lacks logics.
(日本語要約）教育基本法「改正」は必要か
教育基本法「改正」論者は、戦後の少年犯罪の増加やその異常性をすべて教育基本法のせいにしている。教育基本法が「個人」の価値を過度に尊重するあまり、周りを省みない「自己中心的な」若者が増えたというのである。教育基本法を改正し、個人偏重を改めて愛国心を教えるようにすれば日本の教育は救われる、そう「改正」論者は主張する。しかしこの主張は論理性を欠いている。第一に、少年犯罪は戦後、戦前と比べ増加してはいない。異常な少年犯罪が増加したように見えるのは、メディアがこれらをセンセーショナルに報道するためだろう。第二に、「自己中心的な」若者の増加と教育基本法の諸原則との関係は証明されていない。法の原則がどれだけ教育現場で実践に生かされているかを計測することは難しい。また今日の一人ひとりの若者がどれだけ学校教育の影響を受けているのかを計測することも難しい。彼らは学校教育以上に、テレビやインターネットなどのメディアの影響を受け、戦後の豊かな社会の中でありあまる物質に恵まれて育った。核家族が常態となり、地域社会はかつて果たしていた機能を失った。これら全てが今日の若者の環境を構成しているのであるから、これらのファクターの１つのみを取り出して、「自己中心的な」若者の出現を全てそのせいにするのは間違っている。「改正」論者の主張は論理的でない。
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