TOKYO: Over 80 percent of Japanese municipalities have introduced online classes at public elementary and junior high schools, a survey by Jiji Press and an affiliate research firm has shown.

The survey covered a total of 74 major cities and wards. Of the 73 municipalities that gave valid answers, 62, or 84.9 percent, said that online classes are given at such schools.

In addition, the survey found that the 62 municipalities all plan to conduct such classes also on occasions other than the coronavirus crisis. Many of them said that such classes will be conducted in response to natural disasters or truancy.

The questionnaire survey covered boards of education in prefectural capitals, ordinance-designated cities and Tokyo’s 23 wards, asking about their situations as of November 2021.

It showed that schools in the city of Sendai will switch to online classes when they close temporarily and those in the city of Nagano will do so when the government declares a COVID-19 state of emergency or when classes are closed.

The education ministry allows schools to conduct “special classes” using the internet. But participating students are regarded in principle as the same as those on attendance suspension. Of the 62 municipalities that have introduced online classes, 44 said that they follow this principle in counting the number of attendance days for students.

Online class takers in the cities of Kitakyushu and Miyazaki are counted as attending schools. The remaining municipalities said they are using different attendance management systems.

A total of 37 municipalities are fully or conditionally in favor of regarding the participation in online classes as the attendance to school.

The board of education in the city of Kumamoto said that online classes “should be respected as a mean of granting various learning opportunities.”

Meanwhile, four municipalities voiced opposition to online classes. “It is difficult for school kids to establish academic abilities through online learning,” the Okayama city said, adding that such form of education cannot outpace voluntary home learning.

A total of 29 cities and wards did not clarify whether they are in favor of online classes. Three wards gave no answers.