Enjoyable School life in Yamagata City

About School Rules

 In Japanese schools, sets of rules have been developed. In elementary school they are referred to as “Rules of Life”, and in junior high school, these rules have been named “School Regulations”. There is a difference in content for the schools, but there are two main reasons for these rules.

• 1.Children need to understand, practice, and protect the rules of society.
• 2.The school has a responsibility to guarantee an environment of learning equality for children.

 In the school rules, it has been determined that students will have the same uniforms, exercise clothes, bags and shoes. The rationale behind this is to create an environment where students can concentrate on learning by eliminating the gap between the rich and the poor. If there is a difference in possessions based on the economic situations of the parents, children may become embittered. Unfortunately, an environment where students can concentrate on learning equally cannot totally be guaranteed by these efforts.

 In addition, the rules also specify the types of clothes, hairstyles, and belongings that are allowed. For example, in elementary school it is prohibited to have pencils or writing underlays with characters on them. Also, in some junior high schools, hair ornaments are not allowed. Again, this is in an effort to create an environment where appearance and personal possessions do not create distractions and students can concentrate on learning. Students, who do not follow these rules, often do not develop the feeling to concentrate on their studies. We need to worry not only about inconveniencing and distracting other students, but also about developing citizens who follow societal rules.

 The school rules also relate to life outside of school. For example, there are rules prohibiting students from going to game centers or karaoke houses by themselves. The reason for this is that if some incident or accident happens, not only the parents but also the school can be held responsible. By setting these rules, the school is trying to protect the children from becoming victims or even perpetrators of crime.

 If there are any rules that you do not understand, please ask a teacher for further explanation.