A recent survey revealed that full-time elementary school teachers in Japan work an average of 52.1 hours per week, while junior high school teachers put in slightly more, at 55.1 hours. In contrast, elementary school teachers worldwide average 40.4 hours per week, and middle school teachers about 41 hours.
Despite these long working hours, Japanese teachers spend less time on actual classroom teaching than the global average. Much of their time is dedicated to lesson preparation, administrative duties, and supervising extracurricular activities.
The 2024 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), the fourth iteration since its launch in 2008, collected responses from 200 elementary and 200 middle schools in each of the 55 participating countries and regions.
One significant finding from the report is the growing concern over teacher shortages in Japan. When asked about resource deficiencies in elementary schools, 40.7% of principals cited a shortage of teachers. This figure is more than double the 19.2% reported in the previous survey and well above the global average of 28.7%. Similarly, among junior high schools, 35.6% of principals pointed to staffing shortages, an increase from 27.5% in the prior survey and higher than the global average of 23.1%.
In contrast, relatively few Japanese schools reported shortcomings in information and communication technology (ICT) education. Only about 12% of elementary and junior high school principals identified this as an issue, a rate far below the global average.
However, Japan lags significantly in the classroom adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). Just 16% of elementary and 17.4% of junior high school teachers reported using AI in their classes over the past year. This is considerably lower than the global average of more than 36%, placing Japan second-to-last among surveyed countries. Leading nations such as the United Arab Emirates and Singapore reported AI usage by approximately 75% of their teachers.
The OECD highlighted that Japanese educators remain cautious about integrating AI into classrooms. Concerns include the potential reinforcement of bias, data privacy risks, and ethical issues related to relying on automated tools in education.
While initiatives to reduce teacher workloads have yielded modest improvements, the survey’s findings emphasize the ongoing pressures faced by Japan’s educators. Addressing these challenges remains one of the most urgent priorities within the country’s education system.
https://newsonjapan.com/article/147190.php
