Arya News - The increase reflects the growing burden on teachers as the number of students with special needs rises, while schools continue to face a shortage of teachers.
TOKYO – A record 1,319 public school teachers cited mental health as the reason for leaving their jobs in fiscal 2024, according to the interim results of an education ministry survey.
The figure regarding mental health has continued to rise since a question about it was added to the survey in fiscal 2009. The fiscal 2024 figure is up 39% compared to the previous survey conducted in fiscal 2021.
The increase reflects the growing burden on teachers as the number of students with special needs rises, while schools continue to face a shortage of teachers.
According to the survey, which is conducted every three years, the rate of increase in the number of teachers who quit their jobs due to mental health reasons was the highest since the survey began.
In fiscal 2024, 15,540 teachers left their jobs for reasons other than retirement. Of those, changing jobs — including transfers to boards of education — was the most common reason, accounting for 5,080 teachers, up 26% from the previous survey. Family was cited as the reason by 3,569 teachers, up 23%.
Mental health was cited as the reason by 801 elementary school teachers, 365 junior high school teachers and 153 high school teachers.
There are more students who require special educational support and Japanese-language instruction, leading to the increased burden on teachers. Public elementary, junior high and high schools as well as public special needs schools nationwide are also facing a shortage of 4,317 teachers as of April 2025, meaning 8.8% of public schools have positions unfilled. The workload per teacher is believed to be continuing to rise.
“Mental health is an issue that must be urgently addressed,” said a senior official at the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry.
The ministry plans to strengthen systems for the early detection of mental health issues through stress checks and other means, as well as counseling services.