BY KEI SHIRAHAMA

In recent years, the number of students with school phobia has increased rapidly. It is difficult to find a way to resolve this problem because there are many emotional reasons besides bullying and physical chastisement by teachers. The number of students with school phobia is increasing, but that of "free schools" to rescue them is also increasing nationally. There are ten free schools in Hokkaido, five in Sapporo, and we interviewed Takeshi Sugino, who is a staff member at Sapporo Jiyugaoka Gakuen, one of the free schools, about what can be done on the problem of school phobia in schools and society.

Sapporo Jiyugaoka Gakuen began with the idea of Shuichi Suzuki of creating a new style of school and opened as a free school in November, 1993. Now there are twenty six students; one elementary school student, twelve junior-high school students, and thirteen junior high school graduates; and they not only study but do extracurricular activities such as drama and camping with ten staff members including part-time teachers.

Mr. Sugino graduated from teachers' college to be a teacher but began to doubt, "Really can I do what I would like to do in the present educational scene?" and asked to work at Sapporo Jiyugaoka Gakuen. He wanted heart-to-heart education at a free school rather than the regular educational scene where students are evaluated only by numbers.

About the difference between Sapporo Jiyugaoka Gakuen and regular school, he thinks, that there is a big difference in having the students study what they want to at their own pace without thinking about the curriculum. There is a timetable selected every week, in which students study what they are interested in freely in every discipline.

But the function of a free school is not recognized publicly. The number of days of attendance at Sapporo Jiyugaoka Gakuen is counted the same as that of a regular school, and the staff report activities conducted, but grades are limited to "1" on a scale of "5." However much students can study their favorite things, if they want to follow their own path, there is a large obstacle.

Under these conditions, there was a big reform. In the entrance examination of public schools, students seen as having school phobia may be evaluated only on their scores on the exam up to ten percent of those passing (as opposed to having their previous school record considered in the evaluation.) In the entrance examinations of some private high schools students who have some definite academic achievement are evaluated in a three-way discussion including the student, the parents, and the teacher. Hopes for the future of school phobia children are slowly growing brighter.

The staff at Sapporo Jiyugaoka Gakuen think that the educational system should vary as in the West, and think the view which sees students who don't follow the one course have school phobia should change. The recent measures by high schools is an improvement in the phase of multiple system education.

Though the number of free schools is increasing, there are few students who go to them. In Hokkaido there are about two hundred students, only five percent of four thousands students with school phobia go to free schools. Mr. Sugino says, "The cause is a lack of information about free schools. There are a lot of parents who don't know about free schools, and they are perplexed as to what they should do for their children with school phobia."

Mr. Sugino says to the students staying stubbornly at home, "Come as you are." He wants them to come to the free school which doesn't have many restrictions such as school rules but only the rule of living in society.

Mr. Sugino and the other staff members desire that because they chose to come to Sapporo Jiyugaoka Gakuen the students think how they want to study and how they want to live in the future.

We interviewed him at Sapporo Jiyugaoka Gakuen, and the staff and children seemed like partners who were bonded. We can't forget that students' expressions were happy enough to make us doubt whether their expressions had ever been sad. So that many students with school phobia can regain their happy expressions, we hope that free schools increase more and more.

But why can't teachers give an education like that of free schools in regular school? Can't they do anything within the present educational system?

Even if there are rigid systems and regulations today, if teachers communicate with students, they certainly will be able to decrease the number of students with school phobia. We hope teachers in regular schools aim for heart-to-heart education without being prepossessed by systems and regulations. Thus, schools could become a paradise for children.

Now the need for free schools is very great. Someday, however, if children don't need free schools at all, we can say that will certainly be a happy day for them.