1000 people gather to demand free tuition for North Korean high schools

On June 23, a meeting to demand free tuition of North Korean high schools was held at Toshima-kokaido in Tokyo, drawing 1000 people. In April last year, tuition in public and private high schools was made free by the introduction of a “high school enrollment support fund” intended to provide better educational opportunities for high school students. North Korean High schools were the only schools excluded from the scheme. The government explains that the reason for the exclusion is the military conflict in the Korean Peninsula. But this explanation is in contradiction with the Ministry of Education’s policy of keeping foreign policy issues and educational policy separate- Speaking on behalf of the sponsor of the meeting, HASEGAWA Kazuo reported - that he has submitted 11 thousand signatures demanding free tuition to the Ministry of Education and called for the immediate application of free tuition to North Korean high schools. (OZAWA　Kuniko)


朝鮮高校への「無償化」を要求する集会に1000人
　6月23日、東京の豊島公会堂において、朝鮮高校への「無償化」を要求する集会が行われ、1000人が参加しました。昨年4月、すべての高校段階の生徒の学びを保障するための「就学援助金」としてスタートした「高校無償化」ですが、朝鮮高校のみ排除されています。日本政府は排除の理由として朝鮮半島における軍事衝突を挙げ、「手続停止」となっていますが、外交問題と教育を切り離すという政府・文部科学省の方針とも矛盾しています。主催者を代表してあいさつに立った長谷川和男さんは、無償化を求める1万1千筆の署名を文部科学省に提出してきたことを報告し、即刻無償化を実現していきたいと強く訴えました。（尾澤邦子）