Key Facts
• August 19, 2025: Ministry of Education proposed revised guidelines for public school teachers.
• Goal: 100% of teachers to have monthly overtime capped at 45 hours.
• Revised law (June 2025): Requires education boards to manage and disclose workload plans.
• Target: Reduce average monthly overtime to 30 hours by fiscal year 2029.
• Guidelines mandate education boards to create implementation plans aligned with the new standards.
• Workload classification revised: Non-teaching tasks (e.g., website management) assigned to staff.
• Concerns raised: Budget expansion, increased administrative staff burden, and guideline effectiveness.
• Central Education Council to finalize and publish guidelines by fall 2025.
Summary
The Japanese Ministry of Education has proposed new guidelines to address excessive overtime among public school teachers. The plan aims to ensure that 100% of teachers work no more than 45 hours of overtime per month, even during busy periods. This follows the June 2025 revision of the Special Act on Teacher Salaries, which mandates education boards to manage and disclose workload plans. By 2029, the goal is to reduce average monthly overtime to 30 hours. The guidelines also reclassify tasks, assigning non-teaching duties like website management to administrative staff. However, concerns about budget constraints, increased administrative workload, and the feasibility of implementation were raised during discussions. The finalized guidelines are expected to be published by fall 2025.
