TOKYO – The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry plans to establish a graduate school program that would allow working adults to earn teaching licenses within a year while gaining experience in schools and receiving salaries, with the aim of introducing the system by fiscal 2030.
Graduate schools and local boards of education would jointly develop curricula and select candidates with an eye toward hiring them as teachers upon completion of the program. The initiative is intended to ease the financial burden of obtaining teaching credentials and attract people with diverse professional backgrounds into the classroom.
The ministry plans to submit a bill to amend the Education Personnel Certification Law during next year’s ordinary Diet session.
Currently, university graduates who have never taken teacher-training courses generally need three years to obtain a teaching license through graduate school. The new program, designed for university graduates with work experience, would allow participants to complete their training within a year, preparing them to enter the classroom as fully qualified teachers.
Under the proposal, participants seeking standard teaching licenses would need at least 57 credits for elementary schools and 56 for junior and senior high schools. However, 20 credits would be considered already earned in recognition of their professional experience.
The remaining coursework would include approximately 10 credits in foundational subjects, such as teaching methods and students’ physical and psychological development, and about 26 credits in practical training, including classroom instruction and student guidance.
The proposed curriculum would involve intensive graduate-level coursework in April and May and during the summer break in August. Beginning in June, participants would gain hands-on experience in schools while receiving instruction from graduate school faculty after school or on weekends.
Participants who obtain temporary teaching licenses from local boards of education during their practical training would be able to work full time and receive salaries. Those who earn the required credits would receive regular teaching licenses the following spring, paving the way for formal employment as teachers.
According to a survey by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, people who entered teaching after working in other professions accounted for just 0.9% of lower secondary school teachers in Japan in 2024, compared with the OECD average of 8.4%.
ANN/The Yomiuri Shimbun