Brazilian schools in Japan losing students as economy worsens
Kyodo News reports that the economic downturn has hit Brazilian workers in Japan very hard, causing a sudden drop in the number of Brazilian children enrolled in special Portuguese language schools.
Here’s an example from Gunma:
Of its 50 students, some 20 students left the school in September and October, with half of them giving the school no notice, according to the school.
The city of Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture and its surrounding region is known to be home to the largest community of Brazilians in Japan. A Brazilian school in Iwata, adjacent to Hamamatsu, said around 30 students have left since September.
In Ota, Gunma Prefecture, also a host to a large community of Brazilians, a local job placement center has been receiving an increasing number of new job seekers — 82 in August, 147 in September and 214 in October.
Jobless parents are considered to be behind drops in enrollments, which in turn is pushing Brazilian schools into a corner, local officials say.
Only Japanese citizens are required by law to attend elementary and junior high school, so it is very possible that the Brazilian children who have dropped out of Portuguese language schools may not be getting any education at all.
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