Education in Japan

Though I’ve already posted a picture of my new school, I thought I would use an entry to give a little more explanation of the Japanese system of education.

In Japan, the system is similar for Kindergarten through elementary school, with elementary school consisting of grades 1-6. In middle school, the numbers begin again. In the American system, grades 7, 8, and 9 are known as 1^st year, 2^nd year, and 3^rd year in Japan. Grades 10, 11, and 12 are known as 4^th year, 5^th year, and 6^th year. This does not seem all that different.

However, middle and high school is significantly different. The weeding out process for students begins as early as grade six. Many students take entrance exams in grade six in order to test into private or more academically oriented public Junior High Schools.

Parents will keep their students out of school multiple days a week prior to the exams in February so that they can study for the test instead of going to regular school. Students also attend juku, or private study schools, on evenings and weekends after completing their normal school day to continue preparing for entrance exams.

There is another weeding out process as students move into high school. In Japan, compulsory education ends after 3^rd year. Even though 95% of students continue on to high school, this means that students essentially have to decide on their career path in 9^th grade.

Students take another entrance exam to determine what kind of high school they will attend. Here in Tokushima, as in many cities in Japan, there are multiple high schools – academic schools, commercial schools, and vocational/technical schools.

Once the testing is over and the type of school is initially decided, students and parents have the opportunity to visit different schools and decide which school they will attend. Schools often hold an “Open School” event where students and parents can see the school in action. It is different than an open house in the United States, because students actually have the opportunity to attend sample classes rather than only walking around and viewing school facilities.

I am reserving judgment on the system until I have a year or two to become a more integral part of it, but it certainly is successful on paper. Japan’s students (and population as a whole) are far more literate by percentage of population than the United States, and they score significantly higher on standardized math and science tests.

There are certainly problematic elements (early weeding out of students, academic intensity at an extremely early age, etc.), and I will be curious to see how I view the education system after spending a few months here.