ATIKA SCHOOL

Explain in details the system of education in Japan clearly in terms of structure,

curriculum and organization
17/12/20161 Comment

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Introduction:
The basic school system in Japan is composed of the following levels
Elementary school (lasting 6 years)
Middle school (3 years)
High school (3 years)
University (4 years)
Education is compulsory only for the nine years of elementary and middle school.
The curriculum is designed in such a way that the children develop motor skills
early on [an action that involves your baby using his muscles].
Vocational education [education that prepares people to work in a trade, in a
craft, as a technician, or in support roles in professions such as engineering,
accountancy, nursing, medicine, architecture, or law.] is systematically planned to
keep the students at par with the global standards
There are entrance exams for students entering preschool, primary, lower secondary,
higher secondary, and colleges/universities.
Both public and private high schools in Japan require such tests and usually test
the main five fields: Japanese, English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.
Structure
Structure of Japanese Education
Structure of Japanese Education
Pre-primary Education
Education prior to elementary school is provided at kindergartens and day-care
centers.
Public and private day-care centers take children from under age 1 on up to 5 years
old. The programmes for those children aged 3–5 resemble those at kindergartens
These institutions are proposed to develop the cognitive skills [skills your brain
uses to think, read, learn, remember, reason, and pay attention] of kids from age
one to five and therefore, to prepare them for the six years of compulsory
elementary level of education
The educational approach at kindergartens varies greatly from unstructured
environments that emphasize play to highly structured environments that are focused
on having the child pass the entrance exam at a private elementary school.
The academic year starts from April and ends in March, having summer vacation in
August and winter vacation in the end of December to the beginning of January.
Also, there are few days of holidays between academic years. The period of academic
year is same all through elementary level to higher educations nationwide
Primary Education (Elementary Education)
Elementary education in Japan begins at the age of 6 and is mandatory for children
to attend school for this period
Lower secondary education is the final stage of mandatory education and caters to
students from 12 to 15 years of age.
Education in elementary school consisting grades one to six. Elementary teachers
are usually responsible for all subjects, and classes remain in a single room for
maximum activities. All the teachers and professors are very well prepared
Lower-Secondary Education (Junior High School)
Lower-Secondary Education covers grades seven, eight, and nine- children from the
ages of roughly twelve to fifteen-with special focus on academic studies.
Lower Secondary level of education is not compulsory in Japan, but almost 96% of
students from primary level do go for secondary level.
At the lower secondary school, a teacher is assigned to teach one specific subject.
Subjects covered in secondary level of education are mathematics, science, social
studies, art and crafts, English, health, fine arts, physical education, music and
other foreign languages too. Since 2011, English has been made compulsory in the
school curriculum
Some teachers are allotted to take the responsibilities for the classroom along
with teaching a specific subject
Upper-Secondary Education (Senior High School)
Upper-secondary education is not compulsory in Japan
The curriculum includes basic subjects like Mathematics, Science, English and
Japanese
In the later years of high school education some vocational and technical courses
are also included in the curriculum. Courses like business, fish farming,
information processing, accounting and computers are quite popular among students.
Upper-Secondary schools are structured into departments, and teachers specialize in
their fields arena although they teach diverse courses within their disciplines.
University/Higher Level of Education
Japanese higher level of education has been highly treasured
Normally, three to four year of university education makes a student graduate in
Bachelor’s degree. Also, there are some professional degree/diploma courses
spanning 5 to 6 years of education. Most popular subjects among students in Japan
are Business Management, Accounting, Engineering, Law, Humanities and Social
Sciences.
Organization
Comparative education: Japan VS Kenya
Comparative education: Japan VS Kenya
Education Finance
Public schools are funded by a combination of support from the national, municipal
and prefectural governments
Schools receive enrollment support funds that they apply to the cost of their
students’ tuition which equals about $100 a month, per student. However, if these
funds are not sufficient, the students must make up the difference. If students
come from a low-income household, the government provides further subsidies of up
to $200 a month.
Private schools also receive a great deal of public funding, with the Japanese
government paying 50% of private school teachers’ salaries.
Other forms of funding are capital grants, which go to private schools for specific
costs, including new buildings and equipment.
The focus of the funding is on teachers and students. In 2011, Japan spent 5.1% of
its GDP on education
School Management and Organization
In Japan, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
sets policy and curriculum, establishes national standards, sets teacher and
administrator pay scales and creates supervisory organizations
At the prefectural level, there is a board of education comprised of five governor-
appointed members; this board is responsible for several activities, including
appointing teachers to primary and lower secondary schools, funding municipalities,
appointing the superintendent of education at the prefectural level, and operating
upper secondary schools
Within the municipalities, there are boards of education appointed by the mayor.
These boards are responsible for making recommendations on teacher appointments to
the prefectural board of education, choosing textbooks from the MEXT-approved list,
conducting in-service teacher and staff professional development, and overseeing
the day-to-day operations of primary and lower secondary schools
In the schools, principals are the school leaders, and determine the school
schedule, manage the teachers, and take on other management roles as needed.
Teachers are responsible for determining how to teach the curriculum and for
creating lesson plans, as well as being in contact with parents.
Accountability and Incentive Systems
Schools are evaluated and inspected by municipal and prefectural board of education
supervisors, who are expected to provide external guidance on school management,
curriculum and teaching. Typically, these board of education supervisors are former
teachers and administrators
As of 2009, teachers are also required to renew their education personnel
certificates every 10 years, after undergoing professional development to ensure
that their skills and knowledge are up to date. This new system ensures ongoing
professional development, and also provides schools with the ability to remove
teachers who are not willing to upgrade or renew their certifications.
Curriculum
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology prepares
guidelines containing basic outlines of each subject taught in Japanese schools and
the objectives and content of teaching in each grade. Revised every 10 years or so,
these guidelines are followed by schools nationwide
All elementary, junior high, and high schools are obliged to use text books that
have been evaluated and approved by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology. The textbooks used in each public school district are
chosen from among governmentauthorized candidates by the local board of education
based on a review by the prefectural board of education. At private schools, the
school principal is responsible for the choice.
The detailed curriculum in each school level, the general objectives of each
subject, and aims and contents of each school year for each subject are precisely
controlled by the National Course of Study. It may seem that the national
government limits and controls the contents of education and its teaching methods;
however, the Course of Study only presents the frame structure of the teaching and
the classroom teacher has the liberty of the details presented.
The elementary school curriculum covers Japanese, social studies, mathematics,
science, music, arts and handicrafts, homemaking and physical education. At this
stage, much time and emphasis is given to music, fine arts and physical education.
Once-a-week moral education classes were re-introduced into the curriculum in 1959,
but these classes together with the earlier emphasis on non-academic subjects are
part of its "whole person" education which is seen as the main task of the
elementary school system. Moral education is also seen as more effectively carried
on through the school routine and daily interactions that go on during the class
cleaning and school lunch activities.
To stimulate an interest in the science, study guidelines for physics, chemistry
and math have been introduced that are illustrated with cute female characters in
short skirts and French maid outfits.
Many low achievers, including LD [learning disability] children, go to low-ranked
academic or vocational high schools, evening high schools, correspondence high
schools, and vocational-training schools. Others enter the workforce.
Outline features of Japan education that Kenya can borrow
Secondary schools in Japan, a teacher only specializes in one subject. In Kenya
secondary school teachers specializes in two subjects. Specialization brings forth
efficiency and consistency of performance of a teacher and Kenya should borrow this
Vocational training is very popular in Japan, where students learn courses like
fish-farming, In Kenya only a few schools are able to offer vocational and
technical courses like Home science, Computer studies, Electricity etc. Kenya
should equip more secondary schools to offer these type of studies
The Japanese education funds students in private schools and gives grants to all
private schools to buy facilities and improve infrustructure. In the Kenyan
context, private schools are not funded; this makes education in private schools
very expensive for needy students thus Kenya needs to reconsider the private
schools policy
Despite a strong economy, Japanese spend 5.1% of their GDP to fund education. Kenya
uses 5.50% but its a weaker economy which translates to underfunding. Kenya
therefore needs to up budget in the education sector
Schools are run and inspected by proffessionals in the educational sector like
former teachers in Japan: In Kenya, any university graduate can be chosen in the
national, county and school level [BOM] to manage the affairs of education systems
even those without interllectual academic expertize, Kenya should learn to elect
credible and qualified people to run educational affairs
In Japan teachers are required to renew their education personnel certificates
every 10 years, after undergoing professional development to ensure that their
skills and knowledge are up to date. In Kenya, there no such developments, thus
making it hard to solve educational challenges and problems
In Japan, teachers are well paid and motivated, in Kenya, teachers are seen as
liabilities to the government
APA Reference
Education in Japan. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2016, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Japan
Hays, J. (n.d.). SCHOOL CURRICULUM IN JAPAN. Retrieved December 17, 2016, from
http://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat23/sub150/item2789.html
Japan: System and School Organization. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2016, from
http://ncee.org/what-we-do/center-on-international-education-benchmarking/top-
performing-countries/japan-overview/japan-system-and-school-organization/
Kids Web Japan. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2016, from http://web-
jpn.org/kidsweb/explore/schools/index.html
Structure of Education System in Japan. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2016, from
http://www.japaneducation.info/Education-System/Structure-of-Education.html
History Notes Form 1 to 4

1 Comment
REUBEN
8/7/2020 12:40:34
Very helpful

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