Overcoming the cycle of poverty, inequality, and abuse
Research, development and dissemination of educational approaches

Social issues to be addressed

In Japan, one in seven children live in poverty, and one in two children live in single-parent households. (*)

A situation where a child who grows up in a poor family cannot escape that situation even when they become an adult, and in some cases they are forced to continue building a poor family, is called a "cycle of poverty." Specifically, if parents have low incomes, their children cannot receive a sufficient education and are less likely to be able to advance to higher education or get a job as they hoped. Factors that are not of the child's own making, such as the parents' income and educational background, affect the child's academic ability and educational level, and determine the child's social class and occupation later on.

(*)Addressing child poverty(Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)

approach

One of the effective ways to break the "cycle of poverty" is education. Supporting children's learning and helping them advance to higher education is said to be effective in preventing children from falling into poverty in the future and breaking the cycle of poverty.

At Osaka Municipal Ikuno Minami Elementary School (currently Tajima Minami Elementary and Junior High School), teachers who work with children on the ground have developed and put into practice "education for living." "Education for living" is an educational program for children to acquire the knowledge and values necessary to overcome life's difficulties such as poverty, inequality, and abuse. The program includes abuse prevention education (education on safety, security, and cleanliness, childcare experience, understanding of disabilities, etc.) and therapeutic education (life story work, children's rights education, career education, etc.). Through this education, children learn how to build relationships that are neither controlling nor dependent. In addition, efforts are being made to acquire the "ability to receive support" by learning rights and asking for and receiving support, and to form an identity by connecting one's past, present, and future.

"Education for living" contains a lot of meaningful content not only for children in difficult situations, but for all children and adults. In order to promote the spread of "Education for living", this project aims to convey its importance to society and build a system to support practitioners.

What this project will do

• Basic research to clarify the importance of "education for living"
• Basic research to spread "education for living"
• An attempt to popularize "Living Education" among teachers and schools
• Developing the content and structure of "Living Education"
• Providing information on "Living Education"