SAITAMA -- An 11-year-old Turkish girl was mistakenly expelled from her elementary school here last fall after losing her residency status, the Saitama Municipal Board of Education revealed at a Jan. 24 press conference.

The Saitama board acknowledged that their handling of the situation was a mistake and announced the sixth grader would be reinstated at the school she'd been attending since June 2023.

Japan has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child guaranteeing all children the right to an education regardless of nationality. The education ministry has also instructed local governments to accept foreign children into schools if their address can be verified through reliable documents, even without residency status.

According to the Saitama education board's academic affairs division, after the girl had lost her residency status leading the local government to delete her residence record in August 2024, the board demanded stricter documentation from the girl's family showing their intent to stay in Japan, such as refugee recognition or visa application forms. When her family failed to submit the paperwork, the board removed the girl from the school roster in September.

After the issue was reported by the media, the board sought clarification from the ministry, and concluded Jan. 24 that their actions had overstepped the ministry's guidelines.

At the press conference, board academic affairs head Takayuki Hishinuma admitted, "We mistakenly believed that the documentation required by the (ministry) notification fell within the city's discretion. Social issues such as illegal overstays also influenced our judgment." He stated that there had been no other cases of school disenrollment.

Yoshihiro Notsu, head of the school education department, added, "We deeply apologize for interrupting her education. Since the girl has expressed a desire to continue her studies, we will work promptly with her guardians and the school to facilitate her return to receiving an education."

(Japanese original by Hiroki Masuda, Saitama Bureau)