Extending free tuition to private schools

November 2 , 2017

Komeito’s Lower House members discuss free tuition on Nov. 1Komeito’s Lower House members discuss free tuition on Nov. 1

On November 1, members of a Komeito committee to improve the quality of life led by Policy Research Council Chair Noritoshi Ishida, met to discuss free tuition and other measures to ease the burden of educations costs.

In the meeting, the Cabinet Secretariat officials reported that during a meeting held in October, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reconfirmed that funding on the scale of 2 trillion yen to cover tuition expenses of early childhood education and a state scholarship system would be incorporated into the budget by the year’s end. They also clarified that they would request funding amounting to some 300 billion yen from the private sector.

Komeito members agreed on the fact that in the process of covering tuition costs for early childhood education (daycare, kindergarten, etc.) and compulsory education (elementary through high school), as well as enhancing monetary support toward university admission, it would be in the public’s best interest to extend free tuition to private high schools as well. Opinions were also raised about including a childhood development subsidy for children with disabilities, and extending financial assistance to students in the process of preparing and taking university entrance exams.