Tuesday, April 22, 2014

“Respect locals' decision!” - Rally to Oppose Coercion by Education Ministry with Civics Textbook



A Rally was held on April 8 in Tokyo to protest against the intervention by the education minister into adoption of civics textbook to be used in junior high schools in the town of Taketomi, Okinawa Prefecture. The education board of Taketomi town in the Yaeyama district, Okinawa, last year selected a textbook to be used in FY2014 that is different from the one agreed upon by the district council. After the town education board refused to accept the ministry's advice to redo the adoption process, education minister SHIMOMURA Hakubun on March 14 invoked a provision of the Local Autonomy Law to directly demand that the town board change its earlier decision. The rally was organized by citizens groups composed of town residents and supporters and took place in one of the Diet Members' Office Building. Some 90 people including TAKASHIMA Nobuyoshi, a professor emeritus of University of the Ryukyus, NAKAHARA Michiko, a professor emeritus of Waseda University and 4 opposition Diet members representing Okinawa participated.  Two petitions demanding that the ministry respect the town's decision and a statement of protest were handed to a deputy director of the textbooks division of the elementary and secondary education bureau. The petitions were prepared by a resident of the town and a group of residents and supporters, signed by 8,676 and 2,383 people respectively. The statement was drafted by a local group and endorsed by 1,068 people.  (By YATABE Mitsuaki)



4 8日、文科省の竹富町への是正要求に抗議する院内集会が開催されました。平日の昼間にもかかわらず、約90名が参加。琉大名誉教授の高嶋伸欣さん、早大 名誉教授の中原道子さん、「うりずんの会」4名の沖縄選出国会議員はじめ、集会参加者全体で成功裏に開催されました。これまで集められた竹富町教科書是正 要求撤回連絡会への署名8676筆、竹富町在住の田中むつみさんへ寄せられた署名2383筆、そして1068名の賛同を集めた町民の会の抗議声明が、文部 科学省初等中等教育局教科書課課長代理の渡邊浩人さんへ渡されました。(谷田部光昭) 

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