Making youth academy education compulsory

The question of improving attendance

Abstract

The present article attempts to answer the question why after continuing education for working youth（hereafter youth academies）was made compulsory in January 1938. no improvement was shown in school attendance.
To begin with, 1938 was also marked by revisions made to the Ministry of War’s Military Conscription Act, under which all privileges pertaining to shortened periods of enlistment were abolished, while youth academy graduates were granted 1) one-year furloughs to complete the academy curriculum and 2) exemptions from being drafted for educational purposes. Although such privileges were designed to motivate students to attend youth academies, the continuing war in China had made it almost impossible for any reductions to be made in military service, resulting in student apathy towards the measures.
Although in its efforts to improve attendance by making youth academies compulsory the Ministry of Education took great care not to interfere with the working conditions of academy students in urban areas, it was unable to convince employers, who were worried about discontent rising among their young employees concerning their places of work. In other words, making youth academies compulsory for urban youth meant having to impose rules and regulations to that effect on their employers. Therefore, not being able to attract students to the academies in the first place, imposing rules on employers was ineffective in improving attendance.
Although it was crucial to create a curriculum that would attract students and win the understanding of employers, in order to increase attendance, effective measures could not be found, resulting in no improvement in youth academy attendance even after it was made compulsory.