| A teacher at an Aichi Prefecture high school has come under fire for asking students what they thought of the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq in a test then giving them zero if they agreed with the dispatch, it has been learned. Komeito party member Takeyuki Kojima brought attention to the controversial test question at an education committee meeting of the Aichi Prefectural assembly. The prefectural education board has acknowledged that the teacher gave students the question, and ordered the school where he works to improve its practices. Board officials said the midterm history examination in which the question was made has held last month. The teacher, who was in charge of history, made questions for his class outside the list of regular test questions, on what they thought of the Iraq war. After the test, the teacher handed out a list of sample answers and the points awarded for each one. "Vulgar answers" in which students wrote they supported the dispatch of Self-Defense Forces or found a problem with the question were marked zero. "Model answers" in which students opposed the dispatch, however, were given five points. The prefectural board of education received complaints from students’ caregivers after the test. The teacher subsequently promised that he would not add any marks for the questions. |