Kids Web Japan

b) The students

In Japanese schools, students clean the classrooms themselves. In fact, they clean not only the classrooms but all parts of the school that they use, including hallways, music rooms, the schoolyard, and bathrooms. It's the same idea as cleaning one's own room. Since making a room dirty means more cleaning, the students learn the importance of neatness, plus they also learn that they must care for their school.

When cleaning, the students are divided into groups of several students each, and each group is assigned to clean one area. If someone slacks off, this affects the others in the group. So this approach also provides an opportunity to learn the importance of working together.

There are other types of work that students get assigned to do. Most Japanese schools serve school lunches that are eaten in the classroom. Students are assigned to bring lunches from the food preparation area to the classroom and to hand them out to their classmates.