Monday, February 24, 2014

Don’t exclude the democratic ‘high school textbook’! ~ lawsuit against the outrageous Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education




 The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education in June last year decided that public high schools in Tokyo must not adopt the “Japanese History Textbook” published by Jikkyo Shuppan, saying that it is improper. 
 The board said that the reason is with respect to hoisting of the national flag and singing the national anthem. The textbook describes the issue in part as “there is an action of forcing public officials in some municipalities,” which is different from the position of the board.
 This description seems to have irritated the board, which continues to force to sing ‘Kimigayo’ , the national anthem, in the field of education.
 Consequently, none of about 200 public high schools in Tokyo selected the textbook of Jikkyo Shuppan.
 On February 7, a group of 67 teachers and citizens filed a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court in demand for annulling the board’s decision.
 MASUDA Miyako, secretary general of the plaintiffs, said, “Abe administration is going to reform the education system in order to restore Japan into the prewar regime, making the Emperor as the sovereign. The board plays a role as its vanguard.  We want to stop the board’s action through this trial by any means. ” (SASAKI Yumi)

民主的な「実教出版教科書」を排除するな!~暴走する都教委を提訴

昨 年(2013年)6月都教委は、実教出版社の『高校日本史』を不適切として、学校で使ってはならないと議決した。理由は、国旗掲揚・国歌斉唱について「一 部の自治体で公務員への強制の動きがある」と記述されていることが、都教委の考えと異なっているからというもの。「君が代」強制を続ける都教委のカンにさ わったのだろう。結果、この教科書を採択した都立学校(約200校)はゼロだった。この議決(処分)の取り消しを求めて、2月7日、67人の教員、市民が 原告となり東京地裁に提訴した。原告団・事務局長の増田都子さんは、「安倍政権は天皇を元首化して戦前の体制にもどすために教育を変えようとしている。そ の先兵の役割を都教委が果たしている。この裁判を通して何とか都教委に歯止めをかけたい」と語った。(佐々木有美)



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