School cleaning has an educational goal, as a deliberative as well as collaborative activity, aiming to improve interpersonal relationships. It is an essential part of Japanese education and is hypothesised to have positive effects on character development.
Cleaning belongs to a whole category of non "cognitive learning" tasks at school, called Tokkatsu. Tokkatsu is defined as group activities aiming to develop a balance between mind and body, as well as to build a positive attitude towards improving life and personal relations, while deepen a child's attitude to do his/her very best.
School cleaning is a routine chore, called toban. Students form small groups, each group takes turn in cleaning different areas e.g. classrooms, hallways, toilets, staircases etc.. The assigned cleaning areas and tasks rotate regularly.
The aim of cleaning is more than keeping spaces free from dirt. It is seen as an opportunity for students to realise the importance of working with and for others. Cleaning enables them to experience how much they can accomplish together. It is an activities that foster collaboration, independency and self-improvement while contributing to the school and community.
Students are moreover encouraged to reflect and discuss the meaning of cleaning. Analysing the the task and understanding the aim contributes to the education of values and helps them to work on their inner motivation.
In sum, school cleaning links practice with theory. (.... at least in theory....)
http://www.schoolexcellence.p.u-tokyo.ac.jp/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp006.pdf