Tag: gakko soji

Schools In Japan Teach Good Values In Cleaning

In Japan, cleaning is part of their education. Students are taught to clean as early as the first grade by allowing them to clean their own classrooms, toilet, and even serve lunch. Cleaning, in the eastern culture, is a holistic practice. This allows children to become responsible citizens someday.

Notice how Japan comes up with various techs and improvements for cleaning? It’s because they want it clean and fast. Interested in cleaning help? Check this out – Comparison of Roomba 960 vs 980. Cleaning can be easy and fast too.

Watch: Japanese Students Clean Classrooms To Learn Life Skills

It’s a golden rule for schools in Japan – should you use a space, make sure that you keep it clean when you leave. Cleanliness is an essential life skill that many people have not perfected! A school administrator in Japan added that students don’t like to clean frequently or spend so much time cleaning, so they make it a point to clean as they go and leave no litter as much as possible.

Japan’s high regard for cleaning or “Gakko Soji” is from the Buddhist teachings that explain the significance of keeping the environment and the body clean. An untidy environment has a great impact on the mind and thus it makes it difficult to relax instead results in the opposite – stress.

Cleaning Time In Various Schools In Japan

Cleaning can include many things. The students in Japan from primary to high school sweep, mop, and dust their school rooms. Hallways, staircases, doors, and windows are not exempted too. And while it disgusts many to clean the toilet, well, these students are scrubbing and mopping the toilet too. Younger students in grade school are not assigned to clean the toilets but are rather assigned to the older students in school.

Serving lunch. As you head to the student’s canteen, you can expect to see students serving lunch. Students are also expected to clean after their meal.

Maintaining Cleanliness. This is important part of their culture. Notice how everyone takes off their shoes before entering a home? This is true in classrooms too. There’s actually a designated rack where students can leave their shoes and use indoor slippers for their classroom. The main purpose of this practice is to maintain cleanliness. Shoes used outside can drag dirt inside, so take it off.

Most schools in Japan don’t hire cleaning personnel. But if there are other schools that do, their responsibility is set on repair works and deep cleaning that students are not really able to do. It is also good to note that teachers schedule cleaning time and rotates the cleaning schedule so that all students get the feel to clean all parts of the school.

Good Cleaning Practice Molds Children To Become Responsible Adults

Motivating children to clean the environment hones them to value the environment and keep it clean. This practice shows children that a community problem is not an individual problem but an issue that involves everyone – Cleaning is not just the school’s responsibility but also the responsibility of the entire student body. Turning cleanliness into a habit becomes a personal responsibility that they take until they mature.

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