JAPAN’S TEACHERS BUYING MORE MALPRACTICE INSURANCE

A growing number of teachers in Japan are taking out malpractice insurance to protect themselves against legal action from parents, reports Yomiuri Shimbun . More than a third of public school teachers have bought malpractice insurance. Non-life insurers introduced liability products specifically for teachers in 2001; previously they had offered them policies for public servants. Premiums range from ¥200 ($1.66) to ¥1,000 a month, with payout caps ranging from ¥3m ($24,900) to ¥50m. Legal action is likely to stem from parental complaints about the quality of teaching, leading to substandard results, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Personnel Welfare Foundation. It said that insurance had been paid out in about 50 cases.