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The government of the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, is considering consolidating its nine municipal elementary schools into three because the number of students has been rapidly decreasing since January’s Noto Peninsula Earthquake, it was learned Sunday.
In the quake-devastated Okunoto region — composed of the cities of Wajima and Suzu and the towns of Noto and Anamizu — the ongoing decline in the birthrate combined with population outflow after the earthquake to produce a sudden drop in the number of children. However, there are concerns that consolidating its elementary schools may accelerate the population outflow, highlighting the difficulty of maintaining schools in depopulated areas.
The reasons behind Wajima’s move also include an increasing number of children opting to attend schools in central areas within the city and a lack of money to repair schools damaged in the earthquake.
Under the proposal, the nine elementary schools would be consolidated into one school in each of the city’s three districts (central, western and eastern). The central district (currently six schools) and the western district (currently two) would construct new buildings and take other measures to consolidate the schools.
Machino Elementary School, already the only one in the eastern district, will be retained, and the city will consider linking it with the adjacent junior high school, creating a so-called “compulsory education school” to provide integrated elementary and junior high education. Consolidation of the city’s junior high schools was deemed unfeasible.
A committee of experts has been studying the consolidation since last fall. The plan is expected to be presented at a meeting scheduled later this month and will be finalized after a briefing session for local residents and discussion at a city assembly meeting.
According to a survey by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, the number of elementary children in the Okunoto region dropped sharply from 2,497 in May 2014 to 1,663 in May last year and 1,179 (preliminary figure) this May. Although there has been no move to consolidate elementary schools outside Wajima, it is feared that it may become difficult to maintain schools in the future.
