Photo/Illutration A scene from a regular session of the Tokyo education board held at the metropolitan government office on April 24, during which the number of new teachers who quit their jobs at public schools is reported (Yuka Honda)

A record 4.9 percent of new teachers hired at publicly run schools in Tokyo in the 2023 academic year quit within a year.

The 169 who threw in the towel was the highest figure in a decade, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education.

The bulk of those who called it a day cited “personal reasons.”

The Tokyo education board said it has tried, without success, to implement steps to keep teachers from leaving.

The problem of teachers becoming disillusioned with the job and quitting after just a few months is felt at schools across the country.

According to the board, a total of 3,472 teachers were hired to work at public elementary, junior and senior high schools and special-needs schools in the last academic year.

Of the 169 who called it quits, 116 were working at elementary schools, 32 at junior high schools, five at senior high schools and 16 at special-needs schools.

Most of them, or 159, left for personal reasons, and about half that number cited sickness in the form of depression and mental exhaustion.

However, 30 percent switched to entirely new careers and 20 percent left because of family matters, such as care-giving responsibilities and moving to a new location.

One teacher received disciplinary dismissal. Nine were not allowed to continue teaching after their probation period because they lacked leadership qualities and other factors.

MENTOR SYSTEM

The ratio of new teachers quitting within a year has been on the uptick in recent years.

The education ministry said a nationwide survey showed that 635 new teachers quit within a year in the 2022 academic year.

Of that figure, 622 resigned of their own volition. One-third cited mental illness issues.

Elementary school teachers, in particular, felt overtasked because they teach multiple academic subjects while also serving as homeroom teachers.

The problem is exacerbated by the fact so many teachers continue to take leave of absence due to mental health problems.

For those reasons, the Tokyo education board has put an emphasis on countermeasures.

In a program initiated by the board in the 2023 academic year, clinical psychologists and other experts were dispatched to schools for meetings with all new teachers.

It has also introduced a mentor system this academic year, in which an older colleague close in age to each new teacher is assigned to the rookie to give advice.

“It is very unfortunate to see people who aspired to become teachers at one time in their lives quitting within a year,” said a board official. “We are trying to provide a support system while utilizing outside human resources. We are also promoting a subject-based teacher system and other measures to reduce their burden.”

The central government is also working on steps aimed at alleviating the situation.

On April 19, the education ministry presented a wide-ranging proposal on teachers’ work-style reforms to a special committee of the advisory Central Council for Education.

Proposed measures to support new teachers include exempting them from serving as homeroom teachers and allowing them to become assistant homeroom teachers in charge of selected academic subjects.

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