Meeting to demand Free Tuition for North Korean high schools held in the Diet Member Building

The new policy of free tuition for high schools started in April 2011 and seems to have had good effects such as increasing the number of students entering high school and reducing the number of dropouts. Schools for North Korean nationals in Japan, known as “Chosen Gakko,” were the only high schools excluded from the free tuition program. The government excluded North Korean high schools due to “the abduction of Japanese citizens by the North Korea” and “military conflict in the Korean Peninsula”, which are all irrelevant to the issue.
On February 14th, a meeting to demand free tuition for North Korean high schools was held in the Upper House Diet Member Building. 170 people, including 9 Diet members, attended the standing-room only meeting. The audience heard a lecture by Attorney YOSHIMINE on the Convention on the Rights of Child and speeches from representatives from North Korean high schools. A message of support from South Korea was introduced at the meeting.


卒業までに！朝鮮学校に「高校無償化」実現を～院内集会開かれる
2010年4月から始まった高校無償化は、子どもの教育保障として、高校進学者が増え、中途退学者が減るなどの効果を上げていますが、朝鮮学校だけがいまだに適用されていません。「拉致問題との関係」や「朝鮮半島の武力衝突」など、全く筋違いの理由で排除され続け、いまだに審査結果も公表されていません。今年も卒業式が迫る中、2月14日、参議院議員会館で、朝鮮学校に「高校無償化」実現を要求する院内集会が開催されました（写真）。国会議員9名をはじめ170名が参加し、立ち見の人で会場があふれるほどでした。子どもの権利条約に詳しい吉峰弁護士の講演、朝鮮学校当事者の訴えがありました。また韓国からの支援のメッセージが紹介されました。