Board of Education

Japanese: 教育委員会 - きょういくいいんかい

These are educational administrative organizations (including some educational affairs associations and jointly established boards of education) established in all prefectures, cities (special wards), towns, and villages, and are responsible for managing and executing affairs related to social education, including school education (excluding universities and private schools), culture, sports, etc., based on the "Act on the Organization and Administration of Local Educational Administration" (Act No. 162 of 1956, abbreviated as the "Local Education Administration Act"). Through these, they are the responsible organizations for local education, organizing and operating local education plans that embody the educational policies of local governments and regions.

[Shintaro Iwashita]

Transition

After the Second World War, based on the recommendations of the United States Educational Mission, the Board of Education Law was enacted in 1948 (Showa 23), and initially only prefectures and the five largest cities were required to establish boards of education, but by 1952, it was extended to all cities, towns, and villages. It embodied the principles of the postwar educational administration system, namely "people's control" (layman control), "decentralization," "independence of educational authority," and "management by professional staff," which can be seen in Article 1 of the Board of Education Law, which states, "Boards of Education are established in order to carry out educational administration based on fair public opinion and in accordance with local conditions," as well as in the "public election of board members," the "two-track education budget system," the titles for the superintendent of education, "governor of education" and "mayor of city, town, and village of education," and the licensing system for superintendents of education, supervisors, and principals.

In 1956, the "Board of Education Law" was abolished and the "Law Concerning the Organization and Operation of Local Educational Administration" was enacted. The current Board of Education is based on this law, and can be considered a new inauguration of the Board of Education. This is said to be the result of revisions that aim to "harmonize general administration and educational administration," "ensuring political neutrality of education and stability of educational administration," and "establish an educational administration system that integrates the nation, prefectures, and cities, towns, and villages," while retaining the basic principles of the previous Board of Education.

Specifically, these reforms include a system for appointing board members, a system for approval of prefectural superintendents of education by the Minister of Education, a system for approval of municipal superintendents of education by prefectural boards of education, the abolition of the "two-fund budget system," the transfer of appointment authority over teaching personnel paid for by the prefecture from municipal boards of education to prefectural boards of education, and requests for measures by the Minister of Education or prefectural boards of education.

[Shintaro Iwashita]

Organization and Duties

The Board of Education is a deliberative executive body, consisting of a committee (five members, although towns and villages can also have a committee of three members) which is a deliberative decision-making body, and a secretariat which acts as an executive body, with the superintendent of education overseeing the secretariat. Members are "appointed by the head of the local government, with the consent of the assembly, from among persons of high moral character and knowledgeable in education, academia and culture," and serve a four-year term. The Board of Education elects a chairman from among its members. The chairman presides over meetings, represents the Board of Education, and serves a one-year term. The internal organization of the secretariat is determined by the Board of Education regulations, with prefectural board of education secretariats having supervisors, administrative staff, technical staff and other staff, and city, town and village boards of education following suit.

The duties and authority of the Board of Education are defined as "to manage schools and other educational institutions, to handle affairs related to the organization and organization of schools, the curriculum, textbooks and other teaching materials, and the status of educational personnel, and to manage and execute affairs related to social education and other educational, academic and cultural affairs" (Article 180-8, Paragraph 1 of the Local Autonomy Law).

[Shintaro Iwashita]

assignment

If the Board of Education is not implemented properly, there is a high risk that the ideals of democracy and autonomy in local educational administration, which should be based on fair public opinion and in line with local conditions, will become a mere formality. For the Board of Education to fulfill its original function, it is essential to rely on the good sense of the head of the local government, assembly members, and residents, while at the same time improving the organization of the secretariat and establishing a professional educational guidance system by optimizing the units in which Boards of Education are established and improving the supervisor system. Issues related to democracy in particular include the legality of the Nakano Ward Referendum Ordinance for the Selection of Nakano Ward Board of Education Candidates, which was devised as a way to directly reflect public opinion (it was abolished in 1995), and the abolition of the three-member Board of Education system, in which one of the members is the chairman and the other is the superintendent of education.

[Shintaro Iwashita]

reform

On March 27, 1998, the Central Council for Education issued an interim report on "The Future of Local Education Administration." The contents of the report regarding the Board of Education are roughly as follows:

The aims of the plan were to grasp and reflect the will of local residents and to strengthen systems for cooperation and collaboration. While the number of board members would be five in principle, prefectures and cities would be given more flexibility (for example, allowing boards to be composed of six members), and the treatment of board members would be commensurate with the importance of their roles. The problematic system of approval for the appointment of superintendents of education would be abolished, and instead they would be given a direct vote of confidence from the assembly, thereby enhancing the superintendent's leadership and demonstrating his or her responsibility to the residents. With the consent of the assembly, a term system would be introduced for the superintendent of education, making it possible to develop educational administration with a planned, long-term perspective and clarifying his or her position as a special official.

Furthermore, in September 1998, the Central Council for Education's Subcommittee on Local Educational Administration proposed abolishing the appointment approval system for superintendents and introducing a direct vote of confidence from the assembly. In July 1999, the Law on the Development of Related Laws to Promote Local Decentralization (Law No. 87 of 1999, abbreviated as the Local Decentralization Development Law) was enacted and promulgated, and in April 2000, a new board of education system was launched with the aim of promoting independent and proactive local educational administration.

[Kimura Tsuneo]

"Kida Hiroshi, 'Revised Law Concerning the Organization and Operation of Local Educational Administration' (1962, Daiichi Hoki Publishing)" ▽ "Japanese Association of Educational Law ed., 'Lecture Series on Educational Law 6: Local Autonomy in Education' (1981, General Labor Research Institute)" ▽ "Ogawa Masato, 'Decentralization Reform and Schools/Boards of Education' (1998, Toyokan Publishing)" ▽ "Hirai Yumi, 'Reforming the American Urban Board of Education System: Decentralization Policy and Educational Autonomy' (1998, Keiso Shobo)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

すべての都道府県、市（特別区）、町、村に設置されている教育行政機関（一部教育事務組合、共同設置教育委員会を含む）で、「地方教育行政の組織及び運営に関する法律」（昭和31年法律162号、略称「地方教育行政法」）に基づき、大学と私立学校を除く学校教育や文化・スポーツなどを含む社会教育に関する事務を管理・執行する。また、これらを通じ、自治体や地域の教育政策を具体化した地域教育計画の主体として、その組織、運営にあたる地域教育の責任機関である。

［岩下新太郎］

変遷

第二次世界大戦後、アメリカ教育使節団の勧告に基づいて、1948年（昭和23）の「教育委員会法」制定によって発足し、当初は都道府県、5大都市だけが義務設置であったが、52年にすべての市町村に設置されることになった。戦後教育行政制度の理念とされた「民衆統制」（レイマン・コントロールlayman control）「地方分権」「教権独立」「専門職員による運営」を具体化したもので、それは、教育委員会法第1条に「……公正な民意により、地方の実情に即した教育行政を行うために、教育委員会を設け」とうたっていることや、「教育委員の公選制」、「教育予算の2本建制」、教育長に対する「教育知事」「教育市町村長」の呼称、教育長・指導主事・校長の免許制度にうかがえた。

　1956年に「教育委員会法」は廃止され、「地方教育行政の組織及び運営に関する法律」が制定された。現行の教育委員会は同法に基づくもので、教育委員会の新たな発足といえる。それは、これまでの教育委員会の基本理念は生かしながら、「一般行政と教育行政の調和」「教育の政治的中立と教育行政の安定確保」「国・都道府県・市町村一体としての教育行政制度の樹立」を図って改正された結果といわれる。

　具体的には、教育委員の任命制、文部大臣による都道府県教育長の承認制、都道府県教育委員会による市町村教育長の承認制、「予算の2本建制」の廃止、県費負担教職員に対する任命権の市町村教育委員会より都道府県教育委員会への移管、文部大臣または都道府県教育委員会の措置要求などの改正である。

［岩下新太郎］

組織・職務権限

教育委員会は合議制の執行機関で、合議の議決機関である委員会（5人制。町村では3人で組織することもできる）と執行機関としての事務局とからなり、教育長が事務局を統括する。委員は「人格が高潔で、教育、学術及び文化に関し識見を有するもののうちから、地方公共団体の長が、議会の同意を得て、任命」し、任期は4年である。教育委員会は、委員のうちから委員長を選挙する。委員長は会議を主宰し、教育委員会を代表し、任期は1年である。事務局の内部組織は教育委員会規則で定められるが、都道府県教育委員会事務局には指導主事、事務職員、技術職員その他の職員を置き、市町村教育委員会はそれに準じることになっている。

　教育委員会の職務権限は、「学校その他の教育機関を管理し、学校の組織編制、教育課程、教科書その他の教材の取扱及び教育職員の身分取扱に関する事務を行い、並びに社会教育その他の教育、学術及び文化に関する事務を管理し及びこれを執行する」（地方自治法180条の8第1項）とされている。

［岩下新太郎］

課題

教育委員会は、運用を誤れば、公正な民意に基づき地方の実情に即して行われるべき地方教育行政の民主性、自主性の理念を形骸(けいがい)化するおそれを多分にもっている。教育委員会が本来の機能を発揮するためには、首長、議員、住民の良識に期待するとともに、他方、教育委員会設置単位の適正化、指導主事制度の改善などによって、事務局の組織を充実整備し、専門的教育指導体制を確立することが肝要である。とくに、民主性に関する課題としては、直接民意を反映させるくふうとして考え出された東京都中野区の「中野区教育委員候補者選定に関する区民投票条例」の適法性（1995年に廃止された）、また委員のうち1名が委員長、1名が教育長である3人制教育委員会の解消などがあげられる。

［岩下新太郎］

改革

1998年（平成10）3月27日付で、中央教育審議会（中教審）は「今後の地方教育行政の在り方について」の中間報告を出した。そのうち、教育委員会についての内容は、だいたい以下のとおりである。

　地域住民の意向の把握・反映や連携協力体制の充実を図ること。教育委員の数は原則5人としながらも、都道府県および市については、弾力化を図り（たとえば6人の委員で組織できるようにするなど）、委員の処遇についても、役割の重要性にみあったものにすること。課題となっていた教育長の任命承認制を廃止し、かわりに議会から直接信任を得ることで教育長のリーダーシップを高め、住民への責任を示すこと。議会の同意を得て、教育長の任期制を導入し、計画的・長期的視野にたった教育行政の展開を可能にし、特別職としての位置づけを明確化することなどであった。

　さらに1998年9月、中教審「地方教育行政に関する小委員会」答申では、教育長の任命承認制廃止と議会からの直接信任の導入等が提示された。99年7月には、「地方分権の推進を図るための関係法律の整備等に関する法律」（平成11年法律87号、略称「地方分権整備法」）が制定、公布され、2000年4月からは、主体的かつ積極的な地方教育行政の推進を目ざす新教育委員会制度が発足した。

［木村力雄］

『木田宏著『改訂地方教育行政の組織及び運営に関する法律』（1962・第一法規出版）』▽『日本教育法学会編『講座教育法6　教育の地方自治』（1981・総合労働研究所）』▽『小川正人著『地方分権改革と学校・教育委員会』（1998・東洋館出版社）』▽『平井由実著『アメリカ都市教育委員会制度の改革――分権化政策と教育自治』（1998・勁草書房）』

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