The Tokyo metropolitan government has announced that starting in April 2024, all high schools, including private ones, will have no income restrictions on tuition subsidies, making them “effectively free”. This is good news for eligible students and parents living in Tokyo, but it also means that both students who benefit from the free program and students from outside Tokyo who cannot benefit from it will be able to study in the same classroom. Some parents of students who are not eligible for the program are worried that the disparity will widen. (Chitomo Miyake)
◆Cross the Tama River to a private school in the city center
“Even though they are receiving the same education, it’s confusing that Tokyo residents get it for free, while I have to pay the entire amount.” This is how a 47-year-old female office worker from Kawasaki City expresses her frustration. My eldest daughter (16), who is in high school, crosses the Tama River to attend a private high school in the city center. Although the tuition fee is slightly lower than the average for private high schools in Tokyo (475,000 yen per year), it is a heavy burden.
Until now, the Tokyo metropolitan government has subsidized the average tuition fees for households with an annual income of less than 9.1 million yen, in addition to the national high school tuition support subsidy. Governor Yuriko Koike announced in early December that her income limit would be abolished starting in fiscal 2024. According to Tokyo metropolitan officials, it is assumed that the existing conditions for “residing in Tokyo” will not change even after the abolition.
◆1.42 million yen difference over three years: “Tokyo residents use the savings to pay for cram school…”
The annual household income of women’s households exceeds 9.1 million yen. They are not covered by the Tokyo metropolitan government’s subsidy system, but are also excluded from the national subsidy system, and receive no subsidy. “If you’re a Tokyo resident, you can use the savings to pay for cram school fees or study abroad,” she laments.“It also has a significant impact on university entrance exams.”
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, of the approximately 180,000 students attending private high schools (244 schools) in Tokyo, 30% (more than 50,000 students) live outside Tokyo. Five prefectures in the Tokyo metropolitan area (Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Gunma, and Tochigi) independently subsidize tuition fees in addition to the national support, but all have income restrictions and Students attending private high schools in Tokyo are excluded. As a result of the Tokyo metropolitan government’s effective tuition-free tuition, households with an annual income of 9.1 million yen or more will have to pay approximately 1.42 million yen in tuition fees over a three-year period between students from outside Tokyo and Tokyo residents.
◆The metropolitan government sends a request to the national government for a “uniform response”
On December 8, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government submitted a written request in the name of Governor Koike to the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Masahito Moriyama, and the Minister of Declining Birthrate, Ayuko Kato, asking the national government to make high school tuition free. A Tokyo metropolitan government official said, “We often receive complaints that tuition fees can be divided into free and paid classes depending on the region in which students live,” adding that “the government should take a uniform approach.” Emphasize.
Higher education support fundIt was introduced in 2010 as part of government support to reduce high school tuition fees. It is targeted at households with an annual income of less than 9.1 million yen, and is used by about 80% of students nationwide. Public high schools pay 118,800 yen per year, which is the equivalent of tuition fees; private high schools pay 118,800 yen per year for households with an annual income of 5.9 million to 9,100,000 yen, and the average amount equivalent to tuition fees for households with annual incomes of less than 5.9 million yen. A maximum of 396,000 yen per year will be paid.
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◆The amount and targets of support vary by prefecture, and Ibaraki Prefecture does not have its own plan.
Tuition support measures for private high schools in each prefecture in the metropolitan area other than Tokyo are similar in that they are added to the national tuition support funds, but the amounts and targets vary.
Kanagawa Prefecture will provide subsidies up to an amount equivalent to the average tuition fee at private high schools within the prefecture (456,000 yen) for households with an annual income of less than 7 million yen (less than 8 million yen for households with multiple children). Saitama Prefecture also provides a subsidy equivalent to the average tuition fee (387,000 yen) for households with an annual income of less than 7.2 million yen. Both are targeted at prefectural residents.
On the other hand, in Chiba Prefecture, the annual income of eligible households is less than 6.4 million yen, which is lower than Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures, but the subsidy cap is more generous and covers the entire tuition fee. Tochigi Prefecture will also provide a full subsidy, with the prefecture and schools sharing the burden, for amounts under 3.5 million yen. Gunma Prefecture will pay 3,860 yen a month to households with annual incomes of 5.9 million to 9.1 million yen, who will receive less government support.
The three prefectures of Chiba, Tochigi, and Gunma are targeting not only those living within the prefecture, but also students from outside the prefecture who attend private high schools within the prefecture. Ibaraki Prefecture does not have its own support measures.
◆Osaka Prefecture, which is ahead of the curve in making private schools free of charge, has a “cap system”
Osaka Prefecture, which came out with a policy of making private tuition fees a little earlier than Tokyo, has adopted a “cap system” that sets an upper limit on the amount of tuition assistance (630,000 yen per year) and has schools pay for the excess amount. Applicable to households living within the prefecture. Those who attend private high schools in the four Kinki prefectures are also eligible for free tuition if the high school requests it, but some private school organizations in other prefectures have objected, saying that it would “undermine their management rights.”
2023-12-24 21:00:00
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