2021 Volume 58 Issue 5 Pages 405-409
Recently, over 98% of junior high school graduates in Japan have gone on to pursue higher education. However, there is no guarantee that in-hospital higher education may be realized by all students. Although the Japanese Ministry of Education issued a notice in 2015 regarding concessions for students who could not attend school due to hospitalization, many schools are yet to respond, which has halted the education of hospitalized students.
In Osaka, prefectural high school students can avail of a learning support system. Since 2012, when it was implemented, there have been 23 students who required long-term hospitalization and considered seeking learning support at our facility. Eleven prefectural high school students hospitalized by 2020 continued learning through individual support plans that combined in-person classes, online classes, and/or educational videos. They completed their school grade or graduated along with their classmates. On the other hand, eight private/other prefectural high school students were unable to avail of learning support. Half of them had to either repeat their school grade or drop out on reaching the attendance limit. Furthermore, owing to the impact of Covid-19 restrictions, four students hospitalized in 2021 have not been offered any classes.
Prefectural high school students can continue to learn throughout the duration of their hospitalization and be promoted or graduate. However, the same cannot be said of private/other prefectural high school students who spend their time in the hospital and are anxious about their future. At present, various modes of communication and support must be implemented so that such disparities among students are eliminated.
