By Professor Hirona Matayoshi – Yokohama National University
The Educational Policy Shift From “Digital Inclusion” to “Political Exclusion”
Schooling in times of Covid-19 has had a clear shift from “Digital Inclusion” to “Political Exclusion” here in Japan. To equip people with skills for today's digital workplace is easy, universities succeeded with on-line education just like the Ministry of Education (MEXT) ordered. The problem now is academic economics. Japan's Ministry of Education made a "Policy U-turn" to return to the traditional face-to-face classes in universities here in Japan. Although, knowing the new "Corona Virus variant" is more infectious, the Ministry of Education has ordered all universities to return right back to face-to-face classes even though the infection rate is sky - rocketing for the new year of 2021.
On January 2nd, 2021 three mayors from three prefectures have just pleaded with the government for three hours to reinstate the national state of emergency due to the clear resurgence of 4,520 new cases for the new year that will reach 5,000 by next week. Unfortunately, they were left behind, again.
The role of "business as usual" is to make sure that no one is left behind. Unfortunately, there will be those who are left behind.
On January 16, 2021, this year, Japan will have their annual university entrance exams. This means every high school student, in the country applying for university, will travel throughout Japan to take their exam in a variety of universities to cluster in each of the institutions. We professors have been ordered to wear face guards and masks for the exams that we need to proctor while acknowledging our sacrifice for every minute we stand not knowing when we will fall. Professors who will proctor the exam will be above 50 years old, we and our future students are endangered species. Moreover, some universities are medical universities and their personnel are precious to sustain life in hospitals. Unfortunately, their professors and future prodigies are also at stake. This means chances of clusters, originating throughout the country occurring through commuting to the universities, staying at hotels, and taking the test contributing to the spread of the pandemic will be inevitable.
After the entrance exams for each university in Japan, the universities will call the student body back to school for traditional face-to-face classes. The excuse is simple. "The students are young and even if they contract the disease they will survive", is what the ministry says leaving them behind. What about the teachers above 50? Will they survive or will they be hooked up to a ventilator or tourniquet, in sacrifice, just like the former transport minister, Yuichiro Hata, secretary-general for the Upper House who fell victim to Covid-19, he was young at 53 years old. The one's left behind in a mass sacrifice for the "youthful campus-life experience" for our beloved future prodigies who might even enter the ministry of education someday. The academic economics is behind this sacrifice. Professors all over the country will follow orders since we signed up for this as educators. Although, some of us will be left behind.
Schooling in times of Covid-19 has had a clear shift from letting no one behind by using “Digital Inclusion”, as ordered, to letting those behind by “Returning Back to Traditional Face to Face”, as ordered, building an unfortunate chasm between good intentions to take the initiative as the real three leaders from three prefectures compared to those who have every intention to sacrifice someone behind by resisting calls for travel restrictions and business closures, here in Japan.
Covid -19 has shown the world how sick the system can be.
Professor Hirona Matayoshi
Yokohama National University
Sources:
Japan Universities Asked To Give More Face to Face Classes https://sp.m.jiji.com/english/show/8646
Japan Confirms 1st Cases More Infectious Corona Variant https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/12/8134516e1c24-tokyo-reports-2nd-highest-daily-rise-of-884-new-coronavirus-cases.html
CDP's Hata, 53, becomes first Japanese lawmaker to die of COVID-19
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/12/29/national/politics-diplomacy/cdp-yuichiro-hata-dies/
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Educators including any other workforce with all genders, in respect, who have been diagnosed with COVID -19 even if steroids have not been prescribed, COVID -19 can cause new onset diabetes in high risk as well as worsening blood sugar control in those with preexisting diabetes. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news/new-worse-cases-coronavirus
What we can predict is that working conditions will have to be changed for providing the workforce with a better diet with exercise recess for all. Education will have to change to accommodate those with health sustainable needs. For example, lunch menus must change to vegan with consideration to those that need to control their blood sugar intake or diabetes. Office and business must provide time for their workers to keep healthy with a recess time to prepare food, exercise, as well as rest. Moreover, laws must be made to assure the workforce health mandates. Our society has changed significantly over these two years of the pandemic. Post Pandemic will most likely become dealing with the life-long "after affects" of controlling blood sugar for the existing elderly as well as the workforce and the youth.
One of my colleagues in the field of research, who is a woman just like me, told me that it is hard to live the life of a single woman and that I would have to be mentally strong just like her. Those were words of wisdom but also sadness of reality that I many other women will face during their life-time. Now, looking back, she was reassuring me I'd have to break through the cracks alone in hope to pull up the next generation through the cracks which is something she couldn't do. She had to protect herself and her family and you can't blame her. She is a professor and I left her university for better opportunities and now I'm a professor just like her. We women are alone in the corporate system playing their games with set outcomes.
You see in Japan, we women have to balance our existence within the male society we live in.
"Yes, it sucks".
Just look at our government's Diet, as always the majority are men! We have famous "women's colleges" where the administration are all led by men! The men are teaching us women "how to be their singular ideal woman". The women, that are barely existing in our Diet, are all women that the "men designated as the singular ideal woman". That is what every women in my country is expected to balance. I'm sure that this perception of the "ideal woman" from the male perspective exists in every country. However, gender issues are insane in my mine.
In Japan, "women are forced to choose between marriage and work". Single women would like to marry but if we get pregnant than we lose our job. The corporate companies led by a male team will choose a woman to tell a woman that if she is pregnant then she has to quit her job.
Refer to "Studies Assesses 'Maternity Harassment' in Japanese Workplaces"
https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00610/study-assesses-maternity-harassment-in-japanese-workplaces.html
Hence, the concept of "maternity harassment" becomes a mirage in a fog. This is the insane part. Hence, the low population of Japan. Men are forced to stay at work and work long hours, because that is the "ideal singular man". He never sees his wife yet alone his kids, so kids don't even know him but they love their mom. Every human resource in my country is tethered to our profession. The work-life balance is non-existent. Now, I'm just tethered to my computer under the era-of pandemic. My computer is connected to my smart phone so the office can contact me for 24 hours. In Japan, we were tethered to our jobs before the pandemic and now it is for 24 hours as well. What changed was whether or not a woman was financially tech savvy or not.
That is our reality. We are being forced into extinction through corporatism. Here I am, life with a computer doing all my office work on-line, classes on-line, and calling my family and friends on-line. Our life is now, on-line for 24 hours. That is what I sacrificed to be where I am today, a professor 24 hours. I'm not the only one. That is what my colleague understood about me and about her own daughter and sons. That we are tethered just like she was and is. She was the lucky generation. It may look like the pandemic is forcing women off track but that's not it. Our office, corporate, administrative environment used the pandemic as an excuse to kick the financially tech weak out and keep "the computer savvy 24 hour financially capable strong minded women" to stay on-line or in-line.
In Japan, there is a lack of daycare and with this pandemic it is very difficult to trust the daycare since they are not "all" licensed by the government. Hence, even if women had kids they simply cannot trust anyone with their kids. Women have no choice but to stay home since their husbands are corporate slaves just like they were and the others are "hanging on like a cat on hot tin roof" just like me. Next, they are going to have to face the reality that they won't be able to return since the next generation male or female will take their place. The weakest and the most powerless women without computer and financial skills will be thrown out. Corporatism doesn't like risks of losing workers for childbirth yet alone marriage and consideration for family values. They don't care and Michael Jackson was correct. Corporatism only cares about those who are willing to hang on. Female suicides in Japan are rising increasing 80 percent. They are financially troubled non-tech savvy women under the pandemic losing their jobs.
You can see the CNN report here: In Japan, more people died from suicide last month than from Covid in all of 2020 - CNN
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/28/asia/japan-suicide-women-covid-dst-intl-hnk/index.html
Thus, these forums are golden information for governments and corporations to "get in line" for a change while being forced through the international community of "leaving no one behind" to assist women in need for an opportunity to hang on but the corporate mind-set needs adjustment for just a little compassion and the consideration for family values. Hopefully, the OECD will take it's time to promote "female" family values as well.
Professor Hirona Matayoshi
Yokohama National University