Japan expands school support teams following Kumamoto earthquake

Efforts to support education in regions affected by the Kumamoto earthquake are expanding across Japan. Eight prefectures, including Akita, Aichi, and Kochi, plan to establish school support teams this fiscal year. These teams are designed to dispatch teaching staff to disaster-stricken schools to help resume classes. Currently, 14 prefectures, such as Miyagi and Hyogo, have already implemented these teams, while Toyama and Shizuoka are scheduled to follow next year.

In addition to staffing support, Osaka Prefecture has announced measures to assist students displaced by the earthquake. The prefecture will facilitate the enrollment or transfer of affected students into Osaka's public high schools, special needs schools, and junior high schools. To ease the financial burden, Osaka will provide special exemptions for entrance examination fees and admission fees for these students.