n . <-A,>^ ''-^ ^ ^ ' LIPHARY SIUOENT DEPARTMENT INTERNATIONAL COMMliTEE. V ~ > JAPANESE CODE OF P]DUCATION r ’f *■ A Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from Columbia University Libraries https://archive.org/details/japanesecodeofedOOjapa JAPANESE CODE OF EDUCATION PROMULGATED THE 29th of THE 9th MONTH OF THE 12th year OF MELTI. (1879). REVISED THE 28th of THE 12th MONTH OF THE 13th YEAR OF MELTI. (1880). Translated & published by THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Tokio, THE 2Sth oe the 3d Month of the 14th Year of Meiji. CODE OF EDUCATION. AUT. I. Tlic educational affairs tliroiigliout the Empire sliall be under the control of tlie Minister of Education and consequently all scliools, kindergartens, libraries etc., both of public and ])rivate establishments shall be under his supervision. ART. II. The schools shall be elementary schools, middle schools, universities, noianal schools, l)rofessional schools, agricultural schools, com- mercial schools, indiisti'ial schools and other institutions of learning. o ART. III. The elementary school shall be a school in which elementary education is given to children in the following branches of study : the ele- ments of morals, reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, history etc.; and, according to the local conditions, linear drawing, singing, gym- nasties etc., and the outlines of physics, j)hysioh)gv, natural histoiy etc., shall be added, and especially for the benetit of female pupils, some other branches of instruction, such as sewing, shall also be provided. N. B. Ill case of absolute necessity, geography and his- tory may be omitted from the six branches of elementary education first mentioned. ART. IV. The middle school shall be a school in which higher instruction is given in the common branches of study. ART. V. The university shall be a school in which law, science, medicine, literature and other j)rofessional branches of study are taught. ART. VI. The normal school shall be a school for the training of teachers. ART. VII. The professional school shall be a school in which a professional branch of study is taught. 3 ART. VIII. The agricultimil school sliall be a scliool in which scientitic and practical instruction in agriculture is given. The commercial school shall be a school in which scientitic and practical instruction in commerce is given. The industrial school shall be a school in which the various branches of industrial arts are tauo;ht. It shall be lawfid for any persons to establish any of the schools above enumerated. ART. IX. All wards (in cities or towns) or villages shall, under the direction of the governor of fu or ken, severally or jointly establish one or more elementary schools efficient to give educa- tion to the children of school age of such wards or villages. N. R. In case there are any private elementary schools deemed to be efficient substitutes for these elementary schools, and if so approved by the governor of fn or ken, then it shall not be obligatory to establish any other schools. ART. X. All wards or villages shall, for the manage- ment of their school affairs, organize scliool 4 columittees witliiii the boiiiuhiries of such wards or villages estahiishing eleiiieotary schools severally or jointly; and the koehd shall he among the incinhei'S of the said eoiinnittees. N. B. The (|iie>stioii of the ninubei' of persons necessary to constitute the said committees and the amount of the salary, if any, whicli m;i.y he allowed to the same, shall be submitted to the consideration of the assemblies of the city districts, wards or villages, and the decision of such assemblies shall be approved by the governor of fu or ken. ABT. XI. Candidates for the school coininittees shall he noiniuated hy the peojde of the wards or villages, up to the ninnher of two or three times the rc(|uired numher, and the committees shall he selected and appointed hy the gover- nor of fu or ken from among the nuiuher thus nominated. N. B. The rules governing nominations shall be made by the goveriior of fu or ken and be a[)proved by the Minis- ter of Education. ART. XIT. The school committees shah he under the supervision of the governor of fu or ken, and it shall he the duties of the said comnnttees to take 5 general eliarge of the attendanee of pupils and tlie establishment and maintenance of schools. I ART. XIII. The period of eight years, Trom six to four- teen years of age, shall be hxed as the school age of every child. ART. XIV. Parents or guardians shall be responsible for the school attendance of their children of school age. ART. XV. Parents or guardians shall cause their chil- dren of school age, who have not completed the three years’ course of elementary instruc- tion, unless prevented by unavoidable circum- stances, to attend schools at least sixteen weeks in each year; and even after completing three years’ course of elementary instruction, to attend schools in each year, unless preven- ted by reasonable causes. N. B. The rules governing compulsory attendance shall be made by the governor of fu or ken and be approved by the Minister of Education. ART. XVI. In the elementary schools, the course of study shall extend over a period of from three to* eight years, and the length of the school session shall not he less than thirty two weeks in each year. N. B. The number of school hours shall not be less than three or more than six hours in each day. ART. XVII. In case it is intended to give elementary education to cliildren of school age in any other way than hy attending schools or receiving itinerary instruction, such education shall he approved hy the giinchd or knchd. N. B. The guncho or kucho shall cause such children to be e.xamined at the elementary schools in their respective wards or villages. ART. XVIII. In case any wards or villages intend, on account of inadequate means for estahlishing elementary schools, to organize a system of itinerary instruction for giving an elementary education to children, such system of instruction shall he ap})roved hy the governor (jf fu or ken. 7 ART. XIX. Schools shall be classed as public and private: tliose which are established and main- tained out of local taxes or at the public expense of the wards or villages in which they are establislied, shall be called public schools; and those which are establislied and suppor- ted at the private expense of one or more individuals, shall be called private schools. ART. XX. Public schools, kindergartens, libraries etc., which belong to the fu or ken establishments, shall be approved by the Minister of Education, both for their establishment and abolition; and those which belong to the ward or village establishments shall be approved by the gover- nor of fu or ken, both for their establishment and abolition. ART. XXI. Private schools, kindergartens, libraries etc., shall be established with the approval of the governor of fu or ken, and upon the abolition of the same, a statement to that effect sliall be presented to the governor of fu or ken. 8 N. B. P rivate elementary scliools which are used as substitutes fur public elementary schools shall be abolished with the approval of the governor of fu or ken. ART. XXII. Rules coiieeriiiiig the establishment and abolition of sehools, Icindei'gartens, libraries etc., Avliieli belong to the ward or village or ])iivate establishments, shall be made bv the governor of fu or ken, with the a[)[)roval of the Minister of Edueation. ART. XXIII. The course of study of elementary schools shall be constituted by the governor of fu or ken, aecifrding to the standard outline issued by the Minister of Education, with modifications in accordam'c with local considerations, and be carried into oi)eration with the approval of the ^linister of Education. N. B. In case the course of study thus constituted by the governor of fu or ken can not strictly be adhered to and some modilications appear necessary, the matter shall be submitted to the Minister of Kducation by the governor of fu or k(Mi with his opinions, for his _a[)[)roval, before such modifications are permitted. ART. XXIV. The expenditures for any public schools which are established b^^ the vote of the fu or 9 ken assembly sliall be paid out of the local taxes, and those of the })ublie schools which are established by the vpte of the peoi)le of a ward or village shall be paid out of the said ward or village rates. ART. XXV. In ease seluxjls established and maintained at tlie expense of any wards or villages re(piire to be aided by the local taxes, the matter shall be submitted to the consideration of the fu or ken assembly and be carried into opeiation according to the decision of that assend)ly. ART. xxvr. Public school sites shall be exem})t from taxation. ART. XXV [I. -All contributions either pecuniary or othei-- wise Avhich ai'c made for educational purposes shall not be used or appropriated in any way other than that designated by the donors. ART. xxvni. Ivepealed. 10 Eepealed. ART. XXIX. l^epealed. ART. XXX. lie})ealed. ART. XXXI. llei)ealed. ART. XXXII. ART. XXXIII. Xoniud scliools shall be established in each fii ei* ken for training: teachers of eleinentarv schools. 11 ART. XXXIV. I’liblic* normal schools shall grant eertiticates to their own students who have coin])leted the course of study and passed the iiiial examina- tion. ART. XXXV. Public normal schools shall grant certificates to other applicants than their own students when, on examination, they are found to be pro})erly qualified to receive the same. ART. XXXVI. Repealed. ART. XXXYIT. Teachers of either sex shall be over eighteen years of age. N. B. No persons guilty of immoral conduct shall be employed as teachers. ART. XXXVIII. Every teacher of elementary schools shall possess a certificate from a government or public normal school. 12 N. B. It shall be lawful for any person to be eni[)loyed as a teacher within the jurisdiction of a fu or ken without a certificate from a normal school, provided he possesses a teacher’s licence granted by the governor of the said fu or ken. ART. XXXIX. Tlie Minister of Education sliall from time to time send out officers of tlie Department to fu and ken, for the ])ur])ose of inspecting tlie nctiial condition of educational ii flairs. ART. XL. « Every seliool, either puldic or private, sliall be o])en to insjicction by the oftieei-s sent out by the Ministei' of Education. ART. XLI. The governor of fu or ken shall annually prejiare a r(‘[)ort eoneei'iiing the actual state of edu(*ational affairs within his jm isdietion and forward the same to the Minister of Education. ART. XLII. In schools in general, pipiils of both sexes shall not be taught in the saiue rooms. N.B. In elementary schools teaching i)U[)ils of both sexes in the same rooms shall he permitted. 13 ART. XLIII. A school fee sliall he charged or remitted according to the circumstances of the schools. ART. XLIV. Children who have neither had small-pox nor been vaccinated shall not be admitted to the schools. ART. XLV. Persons affected by any contagions diseases shall not be admitted to the schools. ART. XLVI. .No cor})oral piifiishments (snch as whipping or binding with ro])es or cords) shall be inflicted on the pupils in the schools. ART. XLVIL Ihirents or guardians of ])iipils shall be permitted to attend any and all examinations that may be held in the schools. ART. XLVIII. Teachers of any schools which belong to the ward or village establishments, shall l)e aj)- pointed or dismissed by the governor of fn oi* ken at the recpiest of the school committees. 14 ART. XLIX. The salaries of teacliei’s employed in the sehools whieh belong to the ward or village establishments, shall be deteiinined by the governor of fn or ken with the approval of the Minister of Ediieatiom ART. L. Middle sehools, and also professional sehools, agrienltural schools, comniereial schools, in- dustrial sehools etc., shall be established in each fu or ken according to the local condi- tions. /