(Jul. 28, 2008) The Yomiuri Shimbun
Minister should act in Oita school scandal
教員採用汚職 教委のあり方を問う根深さ（7月28日付・読売社説）
The bribery scandal involving the Oita Prefectural Board of Education appears to be never-ending. The way in which boards of eduction function has come into question. Boards of education across the country and the Education, Science and Technology Ministry should do their utmost to restore public trust in education.
大分県教育委員会をめぐる汚職事件が、際限のない広がりを見せ、教委のあり方が問われている。教育への信頼回復に、全国の教委や文部科学省は全力を挙げねばならない。
In the latest incident discovered, bribery is suspected of playing a role not only in teacher employment tests but also in promotion tests for principals and vice principals. In connection with the cases, the Oita prefectural police searched the primary schools of a principal and vice principals who allegedly gave gift certificates to a senior official of the prefectural board of education who oversaw personnel management in return for special treatment in the examination.
事件では、教員採用試験だけでなく、校長や教頭の昇任試験でも贈収賄の疑いが浮上し、人事担当の県教委参事に商品券を贈った校長、教頭の勤務先の小学校まで県警の捜索対象となった。
The No. 2 official of the board of education is suspected of receiving gift certificates worth 200,000 yen from the principal of a primary and middle school in the prefecture after the principal was unofficially notified of his appointment as a senior official of the board's compulsory education division.
The No. 2 official also is alleged to have instructed his subordinate to bump up test scores of certain applicants to ensure they passed teacher employment and promotion tests.
現職の教育審議監も、抜擢が決まった参事から２０万円の商品券を受け取ったほか、採用と昇任の両試験で点数水増しを指示した疑いが浮かんでいる。
The board of education has already announced that it will nullify the assignment of teachers to posts that have been confirmed illegitimately obtained and hire unsuccessful applicants whose test scores were sufficient to pass.
県教委は、不正採用が判明した教員の採用を取り消し、合格水準に達しながら不合格となった受験者の救済を明らかにしている。
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Evidence gone
(証拠は隠滅された)
However, with the applicants' answer sheets from the test already having been discarded, it is difficult to identify those illegitimately recruited and those who should have been given a passing grade, but were failed in favor of those who were shown improper consideration. It is also necessary to think about the possible adverse impact on students.
だが、答案用紙は廃棄され、すべての不正採用者や救済対象者の特定は容易ではない。児童生徒への影響も考慮する必要がある。
To carry out reform, the prefectural board of education has recently set up a special team comprised of lawyers and outside experts as advisers. The team must quickly investigate the series of incidents from a different viewpoint from the police investigation and take necessary measures.
県教委は改革のため、弁護士など外部の識者を顧問に加えた特別チームを発足させた。捜査とは別の観点から早急に調査を進め、対策を取らねばならない。
A practice in which the remark column on applicants' score tables bears the names and titles of board of education officials and prefectural assembly members who acted as go-betweens in connection with the cash-for-pass scandal lasted until at least seven to eight years ago. A person connected to the board of education said the practice had been in place for 20 years.
少なくとも７、８年前までは、受験者の得点一覧表の「備考欄」に、県教委関係者や県議ら口利きした人物の名前や肩書が記入されていた。「不正は２０年前から行われていた」との証言もある。
Concentration of authority to make pass-fail decisions in the hands of a small number of senior officials was proved to have resulted in a hotbed of corruption in a court case in connection with a similar bribery scandal at the Yamaguchi Prefectural Board of Education 18 years ago.
合格を決定する権限が少数の幹部に集中し、不正の温床になっていることは、１８年前に起きた山口県教委汚職の裁判でも明るみに出ている。
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Systemic problems
According to a recent Yomiuri Shimbun survey, however, 58 boards of education among 63 Tokyo and other prefectural, and ordinance-designated cities' boards of education allow only officials of the secretariat division of the board of education to take part in screenings for public school teachers.
ところが、読売新聞の調査では、大分を除く６３都道府県・政令市教委のうち、５８教委が事務局職員だけで合否を判定していた。
Only 17 boards disclose allocation of scores to each answer on the employment tests. Disclosing correct answers and score allocation so that applicants can self-grade their tests is the first step toward preventing wrongdoing.
問題の配点公表も１７教委だけだ。受験者が自己採点できる解答と配点の公表は、不正防止の第一歩だ。
What did the Oita Prefectural Board of Education learn from the scandal in the other prefecture? The board should seriously reflect on the scandal in which it is involved.
他県の不祥事から何を学んできたのか。猛省すべきだ。
It has also been revealed that the Oita Prefectural Board of Education and other local boards disclosed the results of teacher employment tests, although there was no money involved, to prefectural assembly members and others, who acted as go-betweens, before those who took the test received their results. Providing such advance notice of test results is poor practice that could lead to misconduct. Such practices must be stamped out.
金品を介さないまでも、各地の教委が県議らの口利きを受け、受験者より前に合否を伝えていたことも判明した。口利きと事前の合否連絡は、不正を生みかねない悪弊だ。根を絶たねばならない。
The local education administration law revised last year enables the education minister to demand boards of education take corrective measures if it becomes obvious that violations of the law and negligence on the part of the board infringes on students' rights to an education.
昨年の地方教育行政法改正で、文科相は、教委の法令違反や怠慢で児童生徒が教育を受ける権利を侵害されていることが明らかであれば、具体的な内容の是正を要求できるよう明記された。
infringe=侵害する
In the case of Oita Prefecture, the misconduct revealed is systematic and either the principal or vice principal has been removed at four primary schools. The education minister should not hesitate to intervene in the case if the prefectural board of education is unable to quickly solve the problem.
大分では組織ぐるみの不正が明らかになり、４小学校では校長か教頭が不在だ。県教委が迅速に対策を打ち出せないなら、文科相は介入を躊躇してはなるまい。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 28, 2008)
（2008年7月28日02時08分 読売新聞）
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