tranformation of education in japan

8/3/2019 Tranformation of Education in Japan

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Tranformation of

education in Japan


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INTRODUCTION

The Japanese people consider the love of learning tobe one of life's main virtues. That fact has led toeducation playing a crucial role in their culture,especially since the Meiji Restoration in 1868.Virtually all Japanese people complete educationthrough the high school (also called upper secondary)level, and most go on to further technical or universitytraining.

This emphasis on the value of education hascontributed to the success of Japan in the modernworld.


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The early history of Japanese education was profoundlyaffected by the Chinese.

From the Chinese, the Japanese acquired new craftsand, most important, a system of writing.

The acquisition of writing cannot be precisely dated,

but by about AD 400 Korean scribes were usingChinese ideographs for official records at the Japaneseimperial courts.

Education in ancient Japan, however, was morearistocratic than in the Chinese system, with noblefamilies maintaining their own private schoolingfacilities.

During the medieval military-feudal period, Buddhisttemples assumed much responsibility for education.Under the Tokugawa shogunate, which dominated thecountry from 1600, educational facilities spread to

create one of the most literate of all pre-modernsocieties.


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With the onset of the rule of Emperor Meiji andthe so-called Meiji Restoration of 1868, Japanunderwent a radical transformation ineducation as well as in social and economicmatters.

A ministry of education was created in 1872,and in the same year a comprehensiveeducational code that included universalprimary education was formulated.

The government sent educational missions toEurope and America to learn new educationalapproaches; it also invited foreign educators tocarry on educational programmes and initiatechanges in Japanese schools.

In 1877, during this period of innovation, theUniversity of Tokyo was founded.


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As a result of these reforms, Japan emerged as a modern nation with a fulleducational system that was in line with much of Western practice.

The defeat of Japan in World War II resulted in educational changes, manyof which were recommended in 1946 by a US educational mission; someof these changes were discontinued when Japan regained sovereign statusas a nation in 1952.

The teaching of nationalistic ideology was banned, greater emphasis wasplaced on social studies, and classroom procedures were redesigned toencourage self-expression.

Education in Japan is centralized under the Ministry of Education. Itsschool system operates under the Fundamental Law of Education of 1947and subsequent legislation and enables all students to compete foradmission to institutions of higher education.

One of the continuing problems facing Japanese educators is the teachingof the complex Japanese language, which combines several scripts. In1995, 4.7 per cent of the state budget was spent on education.


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Education (Supreme Commander of Allied Power

(SCAP) Period):

Wartime textbooks were rewritten

Replace lessons for war and loyalty to the statewith teachings of peace and democracy

Imperial label was removed

1947: compulsory education was extended through

9 grade 1947: Women were granted access to private and

public universities


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Education (Post SCAP)

Hierarchical system remained: middle school,

high school, college or university

Increasing number of youths advanced to high

school

Educated-based hierarchy


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Elementary and SecondarySchools in Japan

Education is free and compulsory for nine yearsthatis, six of elementary school and three of junior highschool.

Beyond the junior high school level, education isoptional, and a small tuition fee is charged, even in

public senior high schools and public institutions ofhigher learning. In 19971998 Japan had about 24,376 primary schools

attended by some 7.39 million pupils and, in 1995,about 16,775 secondary schools with about 9.3 millionpupils. Primary school teachers numbered about

362,605 (1996), and there were some 552,137 (1995)secondary school teachers.

Technical, commercial, and vocational schools are alsomaintained, as are schools for the physically disabled.Private tutorial colleges are a widespread and popularadjunct to the fiercely competitive educational system.


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Universities and Colleges

Japan has about 60 national (formerly called imperial)universities and many private universities.

Among the biggest national universities are ChibaUniversity (1949); Hiroshima University (1949);Hokkaido University (1876) at Sapporo; K be University

(1949); Kyoto University (1897); Kyushu University(1911) at Fukuoka; Nagoya University (1939); OkayamaUniversity (1949); Osaka University (1931); TohokuUniversity (1907) at Sendai; the University of Tokyo(1877); and the University of Tsukuba (1973).

Major private institutions include Hosei University

(1880), Nihon University (1889), and Waseda University(1882), in Tokyo; Doshisha University (1875) in Kyoto;Fukuoka University (1934); and Kansai University(1886) in Osaka.

In 1995, institutions of higher education in Japan had acombined enrolment of over 2.5 million students.


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conclusion

Japanese education it would appear is increasinglylocated within the realm of neo-liberal political andorganizational discourses that sustain and reproducedistinctive ideologies at a symbolic and practical level.

Japan have learned the educational and school system

from the United States for a long time. However, though in general American people do not

like memorization or repetition, most Japanese peoplelike to make a high and good balance between thinkingand memorization in school teaching practices in orderto promote excellent thinking activities.

Too much memorization is harmful, but too littlememorization is senseless.

Thinking without memorization is fruitless, andmemorization without thinking is useless.

tranformation of education in japan

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