「９月入学」５年で移行案　新入生急増を分散―政府

　新型コロナウイルス感染拡大による休校の長期化を受け、入学時期を秋にする「９月入学」について、政府が来秋から新入生の年齢を１カ月分拡大し、５年かけてずらす案も検討していることが１８日、分かった。実現すれば就学児の急増を分散させる利点がある一方、新入生の範囲が毎年異なることになり混乱も予想される。
　自民党の「秋季入学制度検討ワーキングチーム」に示した。政府は既に、新入生の誕生日について現行の「４月２日から１年間」を維持するなど２案を示しており、自民党は関係者の意見を聴いた上で６月初旬までに政府への提言を取りまとめる考えだ。
　新たに提示された５年移行案によると、２０２１年９月以降、就学児の誕生日の枠組みを１３カ月分に拡大。その上で、１年度ごとに１カ月ずつ後ろにずらす。
　２１年度は「４月２日～翌年５月１日」、２２年度は「５月２日～翌年６月１日」、２５年度は「８月２日～翌年９月１日」などとする。ただ、入学時期はいずれも９月に固定する。２６年度以降、小学１年生は「９月２日～翌年９月１日」生まれの満６歳１１カ月～満６歳の児童の状態に戻る。
　他の２案は(1)単純に「４月２日～翌年４月１日」に生まれた者という従来の枠組みを変えずに、学年の始期だけを９月に変更する(2)５年かけず、２１年度に「９月２日～翌年９月１日」生まれに一気に移行する―という内容。(2)の場合、２１年度の新入生は１７カ月分に膨れ、約４０万人急増することが課題となる。（2020/05/18-21:50）

The Japanese government is considering a plan that would see the enrollment age of students gradually shift over a five-year period to accommodate the envisioned change to the timing to start the school year in the country, it was learned Monday.
   The plan is part of a proposal to move the beginning of the academic year from April at present to September, partly aimed at dealing with prolonged emergency school closures nationwide for preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus.
   Under the current spring enrollment system, six-year-old children born between April 2 and April 1 the following year are admitted as first-grade students in elementary school. The government is seeking to address the mismatch between the academic year and the period of eligibility for enrollment that would occur if it decides to start the school year in September.
   The plan, presented to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's working team for considering the September admission system, would see students born during 13-month periods be enrolled as first-grade students, so that the birth period for enrollment eligibility would begin in September five years later, according to informed sources.
   Specifically, first-grade students for the academic year starting September 2021 would be born between April 2 and May 1 the following year, while students for the academic year starting September 2022 would be born between May 2 and June 1 the following year. The start of the birth period will become Sept. 2 in the academic year starting in September 2026, from which the length of the birth period will be reverted to 12 months.