Education in Japan
From APEC HRDWG Wiki
Overview
Japan is a continent in the upper Pacific Rim, its offers free, compulsory public education and all children are required to attend a six-year elementary school and a three-year lower secondary school.
Primary and Secondary education
There are around 30 students in a typical elementary school class. In most elementary and some middle schools, the children eat lunch together in the classroom, enjoying a healthy, nutritious meal prepared by the school or by a local "school lunch center." Every day the students also clean the rooms, halls, toilets, and yards of their own school.
Japanese children enter the first grade of elementary school in the April after their sixth birthday. They attend elementary school for six years, where they study Japanese, arithmetic, science, social studies, music, crafts, physical education, and home economics (to learn simple cooking and sewing skills). During their three years in middle school, English is added to this list. Information technology is increasingly being used to enhance education, and most schools have access to the Internet.
There are many school events during the year, such as field day when students compete in tug-of-war and relay races, excursions to points of historical significance, and arts and culture festivals featuring skits and other performances by children. There are also three- to four-day trips to culturally important cities like Kyoto and Nara, ski resorts, and elsewhere for students in the highest grades of elementary, middle, and high schools.
Most middle schools require uniforms for their students. Almost all middle school students take part in an after-school club activity of their choice, such as a musical or arts group, a sports team, or a science club.
All Japanese children are required to attend school through the ninth grade. Although schooling is not compulsory after middle school, nearly 97% of Japanese students go on to high school, which lasts for three years. Over 55% of high school graduates say they want to go on to four-year universities or two- or three-year junior colleges.
Students must pass tests in order to enter high school or college, and they study very diligently for these exams. It is not unusual for high school graduates who fail on their first sitting to attend a special school for a year or two to prepare for a second or third try at the college entrance exams. Some people worry that studying so hard for the exams throws the youngsters' mental, moral, and physical development off balance.
For more information please visit:
- World Data on Education Database
- Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology
- http://www.learnapec.org
Sources:
