from Arnold Jago

Didyou know that in 1996 we spent almost the same

amounton chocolate as our government spent on overseas aid to help the poor?

Could therebe something wrong with our priorities?

Whatare you going to do about it?

Yes,you.

Arnold Jago, Mildura

The letter aboveappeared in an Australian newspaper in 1997. Refer to the letter to answer thequestions

below.

QUESTION 15.1

Arnold Jago’s aim inthe letter is to provoke

What kind of response or action do you think Arnold Jago would like hisletter to prompt?

BULLYING

BullyingText

Only one in three parents polled is aware of bullyinginvolving their children, according to an Education Ministry survey released onWednesday. The survey, conducted between December 1994and January 1995,involved some 19,000 parents, teachers and children at primary, junior andsenior high schools where bullying has occurred. The survey, the first of itskind conducted by the Ministry, covered students from the fourth grade up.According to the survey, 22 per cent of the primary school children polled saidthey face bullying, compared with 13 per cent of junior high school childrenand 4 per cent of senior high school students.

On the other hand, some 26 per cent of the primaryschool children said they have bullied, with the percentage decreasing to 20per cent for junior high school children and 6 per cent for senior high schoolstudents. Of those who replied that they have been bullies, between 39 and 65per cent said they also have

been bullied.

The survey indicated that 37 per cent of the parentsof bullied primary school children were aware of bullying targeted at theirchildren. The figure was 34 per cent for the parents of junior high schoolchildren and 18 per cent for those of the senior high school students. Of theparents aware of the bullying, 14 per cent

to 18 per cent said they had been told ofbullying by teachers. Only 3 per cent to 4 per cent of the parents learned ofthe bullying from their children, according to the survey.

The survey also found that 42 per cent ofprimary school teachers are not aware of bullying aimed at their students. Theportion of such teachers was 29 per cent at junior high schools and 69 per centat senior high schools. Asked for the reason behind bullying, about 85 per centof the teachers cited a lack of education at home. Many parents singled out alack of a sense of justice and compassion among children as the main reason.

An Education Ministry official said thefindings suggest that parents and teachers should have closer contact withchildren to prevent bullying. School bullying became a major issue in Japan after13-year-old Kiyoteru Okouchi hanged himself in Nishio, Aichi Prefecture, in thefall of 1994, leaving a note saying that classmates had repeatedly dunked himin a nearby river and extorted money from him. The bullying-suicide promptedthe Education Ministry to issue a report on bullying in March 1995 urgingteachers to order bullies not to come

to school.

Source: Kyodo,The Japan Times Ltd., Tokyo, 23rd May, 1996.

The article above appeared in a Japanese newspaperin 1996. Refer to it to answer the questions below.

QUESTION16.1

Why does the article mention the death of Kiyoteru Okouchi?

QUESTION16.2

What percentage of teachers at each type of school was not aware that their students were being bullied?