In Japan, in the 2023-2024 academic year, the number of teachers who took leave due to “mental disorders” increased to 7,119 people, which is significantly higher than the average level of 5 thousand people a year for the period from 2020 to 2023, the agency reports Kyodo.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technologies of the country conducted a study in educational institutions of 20 cities, as a result of which it turned out that 0.77% of all Japanese teachers went on vacation for this reason.
Most of them reported that their problems are related to students (26.5%), colleagues (23.6%) and administrative work (13.2%).
In addition, 260 out of 788 teachers who left their posts over the past year indicated “mental problems” as the main reason for leaving.
In response to these data, the Ministry of Education of Japan promised to take measures to support the mental health of teachers, including by increasing their number and reducing the workload.