Foreign Kids In Japan Skipping School

[Mulboyne]

Yomiuri: 1% of foreign children not in school
At least one percent of registered foreign school-age children living in the country do not attend either primary or middle school, according to an Education, Science and Technology Ministry survey. In addition, the whereabouts of 17.5 percent of children registered as foreign nationals is unknown, making it impossible to confirm whether they are going to school. The number of foreign children who do not attend school is believed to be much higher than 1 percent, according to ministry officials. The ministry suspects that such a situation probably encourages juvenile delinquency and the illegal employment of such children. It will shortly establish a panel of experts to discuss measures to deal with the problem...Asked why they did not send their children to school, 15.6 percent of parents, the largest group, cited a "lack of money," 12.6 percent cited the "language barrier," and 10.4 percent said they had "immediate plans to return to their home countries"...On Tuesday, the ministry released data which said that as of Sept. 1 last year, of the foreign children and students attending public schools in the country, 22,413 at 5,475 schools needed extra teaching for Japanese language--an increase of 194 schools and 1,721 children from the previous year. By mother-tongue, 8,633 spoke Portuguese, 4,471 spoke Chinese and 3,279 spoke Spanish...more...

[IkemenTommy]

And what percent of the local kids are skipping school, in comparison?