竹富町の教科書 違法状態の解消迫る是正要求

The Yomiuri Shimbun October 20, 2013
Govt must enforce rules on adoption of textbooks without any exceptions
竹富町の教科書　違法状態の解消迫る是正要求（10月19日付・読売社説）

The government acted properly to resolve the illegal adoption of a textbook in Okinawa Prefecture.
　違法状態を解消するためには、当然の措置と言えよう。

Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Hakubun Shimomura instructed the Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education to issue a demand for corrective action against the town board of education of Taketomi in the prefecture as the board has been using an independently adopted textbook in violation of textbook adoption rules.
　下村文部科学相が、沖縄県の竹富町教育委員会に対して是正要求を行うよう県教委に指示した。竹富町教委が教科書採択のルールを守らずに、独自採択した教科書を使用し続けているためだ。

Issuing a demand for corrective action is the strongest action the government can take under the Local Government Law. The action has been taken only twice before, and this is the first time it has been taken in the field of educational administration. Taketomi’s education board must take the situation seriously.
　是正要求の指示は地方自治法上で最も強い措置である。発動は過去に２例しかなく、教育行政では初めてだ。竹富町教委は重く受け止めねばならない。

The regional council on textbook adoption of the Yaeyama district, comprising Ishigaki, Taketomi and Yonaguni, selected a civics textbook published by Ikuhosha Publishing Inc. as the textbook for middle schools in the district in the summer of 2011, but the Taketomi board alone adopted a different textbook.
　今回の問題は、八重山地区（石垣市、竹富町、与那国町）が２０１１年夏、中学校の公民教科書に育鵬社の教科書を選んだにもかかわらず、竹富町教委だけが別の教科書を採択したことが発端だ。

The Ikuhosha textbook, written by former members of the Japan Society for History Textbook Reform, carries detailed descriptions of territories. One reason the Yaeyama regional textbook adoption council selected this textbook is that the district is close to the border with China, with tension between Japan and China rising.
　「新しい歴史教科書をつくる会」の元メンバーらが執筆する育鵬社版は、領土に関する記述が詳しい。中国との緊張が高まる中、国境に近い八重山地区が育鵬社版を選んだ理由の一つだ。

On the other hand, some people in the prefecture complain the Ikuhosha textbook provides too much space to such things as the national flag, the national anthem and traditional Japanese culture. This may be behind the Taketomi board’s refusal to adopt the Ikuhosha textbook.
　一方で、国旗・国歌や日本の伝統文化にもページを割いている育鵬社版に対しては、沖縄県内で反発がある。竹富町教委が採択を拒んだ背景には、こうした事情があるのだろう。

The law on free distribution of textbooks for compulsory education schools, which stipulates textbooks are paid for at national government expense, obliges adoption of the same textbook for a district comprising several municipalities.
　国費による教科書の無償配布を定めた教科書無償措置法は、複数の市町村からなる広域地区では、同じ教科書の採択を義務づけている。

This is based on such considerations as that it is easier for teachers to jointly study teaching materials if they teach with the same textbook.
教師が教材の共同研究をしやすい点などを考慮している。

The Taketomi board’s independent adoption of the textbook obviously violates the free distribution law.
　竹富町教委の独自採択が、無償措置法に反するのは明らかだ。

Wrong response

The confusion over the issue has been prolonged because of the wrong response to the problem by the Democratic Party of Japan-led government. Although then education minister Masaharu Nakagawa took the position that the independent adoption of a textbook violated the law, he tolerated the action if the town government purchased copies of the textbook at its own expense for distribution to students.
　混乱を長引かせたのは、民主党政権の誤った対応である。当時の中川文科相は「独自採択は法律に抵触する」という立場をとりながら、竹富町が自前で教科書を購入し、生徒に配ることについては、容認する姿勢を示した。

As a result, the town government purchased copies of a different textbook with donations from residents and started to distribute them to students in April last year. After the change of government, Hiroyuki Yoshiie, then parliamentary secretary of the education ministry, visited Taketomi in March this year and instructed the education board to reverse its decision to adopt a different textbook. However, the board refused.
　その結果、竹富町では町民らの寄付で別の教科書を購入し、昨年４月以降、生徒に配布してきた。政権交代後の今年３月に、当時の義家弘介文科政務官が竹富町を訪れ、決定を見直すよう指導したが、聞き入れられなかった。

It is extremely problematic that the town has been illegally conducting lessons for compulsory education without accepting the free distribution of the officially adopted textbook.
　無償配布を受けず、違法状態のまま、義務教育の授業を行っているのは極めて問題である。

Also, it should not be overlooked that the prefectural board of education failed to instruct the Taketomi board to reverse its decision, although it was in a position to do so. To end the confusion, the prefectural board should fulfill its primary responsibility—ensuring that the Taketomi board observes the law.
　竹富町教委を指導すべき立場にある沖縄県教委が、十分な働きかけをしてこなかったことも見過ごせない。混乱の収束に向け、県教委は、竹富町教委に法令を順守させるという本来の役割を果たさなければなるまい。

The education ministry should also thoroughly implement textbook adoption rules to prevent a recurrence of the Taketomi situation.
　竹富町のような事態が再び起きないよう、文科省も改めて採択ルールの徹底を図るべきだ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 19, 2013)
（2013年10月19日01時36分  読売新聞）