Japan Govt Adopts Bills to Boost Teacher Allowances

   Tokyo, Feb. 7 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government adopted at a cabinet meeting Friday a draft legislation to raise in stages the so-called adjustment allowances for public school teachers to 10 pct of base salaries from the current 4 pct.
   The bundle of amendment bills to existing laws including the one on special salary measures for public school teachers are designed to better treat teachers and enable them to work shorter hours.
   In their first increase since the special salary law took effect in 1972, the adjustment allowances, given instead of overtime pay, will go up to 5 pct of base salaries in January next year and eventually reach 10 pct in January 2031 following a hike of 1 percentage point every year, according to the bills.
   To further promote work-style reform for teachers, the draft bills require that all prefectural and municipal boards of education draw up and publish plans to cut teachers' overtime with specific measures and targets beginning April next year.
   Each board will also be obliged to make public the implementation status of its plan and report to the education conference joined by the local government chief, a move aimed at reducing teachers' average overtime from the current 47 hours to 30 hours in five years through fiscal 2029 as targeted by the central government.

(2025/02/07-15:02)

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