Child Left Behind Nursery School

In 2013, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set a goal of eliminating children who were waiting for slots in nursery schools by the end of FY 2017. Leaving about one year to that goal, it is mostly impossible for Abe administration to achieve it. The kids waiting for entering nursery school have rather increased these years. While appealing one hundred thousand of mobilization for his economic revitalization agenda with women participation to the offices, a number of women are left jobless without any place to leave their kids in the daytime.

At the time of April 2016, there were 23,553 of children who were waiting for entering nursery school, the number which increased for two consecutive years. That number did not include the children who refused entering one recommended by regional government, who entered nursery school without governmental license, and whose mother stopped searching job. Those uncounted children amounted to 67 thousands. Definition of waiting kids actually matters.

Asahi Shimbun made a research on how many kids were waiting this January and February. According to the answers from 84 local governments, only 26 hoped to reach the goal of eliminating the waiting kids until the end of FY 2017. 14 were considering review of the plan and 6 have actually extended the time limit with hopelessness of achievement. 29 governments thought that they might not achieve it. 3 out of the rest of 9 did not even set the goal with pessimistic view from the beginning.

The greatest reason was unexpected increase of the waiting children. Some raised scarcity of nursery staffs and others were in want of land and property. 34 governments had examples of failure in establishing 143 new nursery schools from this April, which would have been expected to accept 6,339 children as a whole. Delay of construction, unavailability of land, or difficulty in negotiation with residents around was typical reasons.

Abe administration planned to offer 400 thousands of slots in nursery schools by the end of FY 2017. It was raised up to 500 thousands in the fall of 2015, because working women abruptly increased. This is the time for baby boomers to retire in the age of 65. Women labor is deadly needed for any business to maintain working force. Most companies could not expect such a great number of women were needed.

Abe admitted that reaching the goal in the end of FY 2017 would be impossible. He announced to make new plan for no child left behind the nursery school by June. But he did not refer to his responsibility for not fulfilling the original plan. Without thorough review on the failure, next plan would not fully be reliable.