 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
JAPANESE
EDUCATIONAL REFOEM AFTER WORLD WAR II
YOSHIDA,
Kazufumi
CONTENTS 1.
OUTLINE OF JAPANESE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
2. EDUCATIONAL
REFORM OF JAPAN IN PAST
3.
PPRESENT EDUCATIONAL REFORM OF JAPAN
1. OUTLINE
OF JAPANESE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM (1) Organization of the Present School
System Chart I shows the structural organization
of the present system of school education in Japan and indicates
the normal age for admission or promotion to each grade for the
educational system. As is shown, Japan adopts so-called single-track
system that includes Kindergartens, Elementary Schools, Lower Secondary
Schools, Upper Secondary Schools, Universities, Junior Colleges
and Colleges of Technology. These schools compose Japanese regular
school system. Elementary and Lower Secondary school are compulsory.
Beside these schools, there exist Special Education Schools, or,
schools for the deaf, schools for the blind, schools for the other
disabled. The educational programs are at a level equivalent to
standard kindergartens, elementary schools lower schools and upper
secondary schools. Beside regular schools, there exist
Specialized Training Colleges and Miscellaneous Schools. They are
designed to offer systematic programs of education aimed at developing
in each student the abilities required for working or practical
life. Chart II shows the types of schools
or courses, main types of establishing bodies, qualifications for
admission (normal admission age), duration of courses and requirements
for graduation. Kindergartens admit, as is shown, children
aged 3, 4 or 5 and provide them with one-to-three-year courses.
Children must attend nine years of compulsory education from age six to age 15. During the compulsory education textbooks are distributed free to each students. In principle, to enter any school beyond the compulsory school level, one is required to pass an entrance examination. Chart I ORGANization OF THE PRESENT SCHOOL SYSTEM Chart II CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH TYPE OF SCHOOL There are three types of upper secondary
school courses : full-day, day / evening and correspondence courses.
Full-day courses last three years, while both day / evening and
correspondence courses last three or more. In terms of content of
teaching provided, upper secondary school courses may also be classified
into two categories such as general courses and specialized courses.
General courses provide general education suited the needs of both
those who wish to advance to higher education and those who intended
to gain employment but have chosen no specific area of vocation. The requirement of admission to junior
college is same as that of university. It offers two- or three-year
courses in different field of study. Most courses offered in junior
colleges are in the field of humanities, social sciences, teacher
training and home economics. The majority of the students in these
colleges are women. Graduates from junior colleges are conferred
a tittle of associate and can apply for transfer to the upper division
of a university. Other than the regular schools, there are two unique school systems in Japan. The first one is a specialized training college and the other one is a miscellaneous school. They are designed to offer systematic programs of education aimed at developing in each student the abilities required for working or practical life, or at raising the student's level of general education. Among such colleges, those offering upper secondary courses are called "upper secondary specialized training colleges (or, koto-senshu-gakko)" and those offering postsecondary courses are called "professional training college (or, senmon-gakko)." The former require the completion of lower secondary schooling for admission and the latter require the completion of upper secondary schooling. In addition, there are many general courses in the colleges open to anyone regardless of educational qualities. The duration of each course must be one year or more, with 800 class hours or more a year provided. Students who have competed a three-year upper secondary course at specialized training colleges designated by Educational Ministry are entitled to apply for university admission. And students who have completed a postsecondary course where educational program is recognized by Educational Ministry are conferred the title of technical associate, and they are also entitled to apply for transfer to the upper division of a university. Concerning the miscellaneous school, there are a variety of miscellaneous schools specializing in nursing, dressmaking (including Japanese traditional dress), cooking, accounting and bookkeeping, foreign language conversation, etc. The duration of the courses is one year or more in principle, but can be three months or more depending on the course. Chart III HISTORICAL TREND IN ENROLLMENT
(3) Historical Trends in Enrollment Chart III shows the spread of education since the modernization of Japan which took place in the Meiji Era (1868-1912), in terms of the number of students enrolled at each school level and economic development in terms of the overall industrial production index. And Chart IV shows the enrollment ratio to each school level. As is shown, the primary education has spread all over the nation in early period of the modernization of Japan. In another word, it can be said that the secondary and higher education have been spreading along with the growth of Japanese economics. And it can be also said that elementary and secondary education of Japan have already reached at the complete level and higher education has reached at matured level in a half century. The reason of the rapid expansion of education and the problems raised by this expansion will be described in later chapters. Chart
IV Histrical Trend in Enrollment Ration to Each School Level
(4) Summary of School Statistics Chart V shows the summary of school statistics. This is, however, only for your information. Chart V summary of School Statistics (5) Operational Relationship of Local Educational Agencies Chart VI shows the organization of national and local education administration. Japanese government system is divided into three levels, i.e. national level, prefecrural level and municipal level. The body in charge of education at national level is Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, or MECSST. The Minister of MECSST, two Deputy Ministers of MECSST and two Parliamentary Secretaries for MECSST are the political appointees. On the other hand, each prefectural and city, town or village government has the board of education. At prefectural level, the board is consisting of five members who are appointed by the governor with the consent of the prefectural assembly. At the municipal level, the board has three or five members who are appointed by the mayor with the consent of the municipal assembly. The relationship among MECSST, prefectural boards of education and the municipal boards of education used to be considered as "Top-down relationship." The movement of decentralization, however, effects the relation mentioned above. Today, the roll of MECSST is mainly to give guidance, advice and assistance to local boards of education, while keeping the authority to establish the fundamental framework of educational system and national education standard including curriculum standard and so on. 2.EDUCATIONAL REFORM OF JAPAN IN PAST (1) Renovation of the Education of After World War II The defeat in the World War II brought
Japan the idea to renovate the educational system because the education
in "ancien r?gime" had been thought to bring the undemocratic
society in Japan. Newborn Japan sought the model of the new education
system in United States.
These renovations have achieved remarkable
expansion and development in education. Beside the quantitative expansion in
education, quality of education has been sought as well. The expansion
of education necessarily required increasing the number of teachers
and school buildings. Of course the quality of teachers, school
curriculum and textbooks are accordingly required. The Educational
Ministry, therefore, launched new systems one after another. Since
local government is in charge of elementary and secondary education,
the ministry began to subsidize the salary of teachers and school
facilities through local educational boards. In order to ensure
the quality of teachers, the salary of teachers ware fixed no less
than that of ordinary government officials by the ministry. To keep
the quality of school curriculum and textbooks, the government developed
the curriculum and requested the school to follow it. And the government
also began to distribute the textbooks that had been screened by
the ministry whether or not they followed the curriculum. During '50s and '60s, Japan has been
enjoyed its rapid growing economy and the education has been growing
in parallel with the economy. In 1973, however, the first Oil Shock
attacked Japan and Japanese economy jumped into the period of steady
growing economy. This economic difficulty also attacked the government
finance. The government steered the wheel of policies to match the
new economic period. The civil society also suffered some trouble.
The education was not the exception. The problems mentioned above
were considered as serious social issues. Based on Rinkyoshin's reports and other educational councils' recommendations, the Ministry of Education has undertaken measures for implementing such educational reform as;
The first item (Realization of lifelong
learning society) was implemented by setting up the new bureau,
"Lifelong Learning Policy Bureau" in Educational Ministry
and establishing "Lifelong Learning Promotion Law." Expanding
of the broadcasting area of University of Air to nation-wide also
helped this idea. The second item (Strengthening the linkage among
schools, home and society). The school curriculum was revised under
the idea of the third item (Encouragement of zest for living securing
more room to grow for children) and the fifth item (Promotion of
the education in accordance with the individuality and capabilities
of each). (1) Scope of Present Educational Reform Even the Rinkyoshin's reform tried to cover widely, the change of the society is rapider than our expectation. Rapid penetration of personal computers to the young generation, for example, helps Japanese students, who use to be considered to be poor at communication in English, to exchange conversation with e-mail. On the other hand, the IT seems to detach some computer-freaks or video-game addicts from communication with others. Turning eyes to the economic society, the burst of the economic bubble lead Japanese economy to the deep recession. This economic situation affected studtents' motivation of studying. Simply to say, mass media accused government economic agencies or leading banks of Japan ware the most significant source of bubble economy. These accused organizations used to be considered as occupied by the winner of competition in school entrance examination, therefore, the students lost not fully understand the meaningfulness of studying. Because, how hard the students study, it might bring nothing to their lives.? The fruits from the reform under the Rinkyoshin's recommendation ware also questioned. Some university professors pointed out that today's university students ware getting lose their academic performance. For example, they lament that even the students of economic science can't calculate fractions and they accuse the policy of putting too much emphasize on 'room to grow for children. Further serious problem among children
is that Japanese youth seems to loose the common sense of value
with adults. They sometimes, for example, pay less attention on
feeling of others or importance of the group they belong. These
problems easily bring about juvenile crimes. Someone pointed out
that the problems raised by the extreme individualism.
(2) Rainbow Plan According to the 17 proposals from the commission, Japanese Educational Ministry summarized them into seven ideas and they called this plan the Rainbow Plan or the Seven Priority Strategies. The Rainbow Plan is shown by Chart VIII. As is shown, the target of this plan is "Revitalizing schools families and communities, School will improve and education will change." (3) National Campaign for Educational Reform In order to realize the idea of Rainbow
Plan, Ministry of Education launched many measures including so
called "National Campaign for Educational Reform." The
most important strategy to realize this plan is how let the people
realize the serious situation of education and the importance of
the reform, and then, let them understand the necessity of the Rainbow
Plan. 4. ENDING Since middle of 1980's, Japan's education has experienced successive reforms and the ideas of these reforms have been always taken the place by new ones. However, the key concepts, that is, the education is the basis of the society, and the education should attach importance to individuals, has been kept. Even though the ongoing reform is to new to estimate whether it will go well or not, the newest one might not be the exception. However, the newest plan has a large advantage to the old ones. That is, the Japanese Government has been emphasizing the "accountability to the public." As may be well known, Japan now needs
fundamental reconstruction in every field such as economic system,
local government system or governing system itself, etc. The educational
system is not the exception. The new Prime Minister, therefore,
stresses "the Reconstruction without Sanctuary." In order
to force his decision through, the most important resource is, as
he knows, to get the public approbation. New Cabinet, therefore,
has been trying to have direct exchange of views with public. And
they can easily get the response with Internet. Therefore, disclosure
of official information, policy assessment and accountability to
the public are the most important measure of the new Cabinet to
carry out the renovation. And, even the way to the new education,
therefore, may not meet people's real intention, we will find alternatives
with people's consent. CURRICULUM VITAE Name: Mr. Kazufumi Yoshida Present Position: Director, Department
of Research, Planning Former Positions : |
