Japan's Education System Before And After World War Two - Essay Example

Japan's education system before and after World War Two The courage, patience and temperament of Japanese people in dealing with crisis situations have been proved many times in the past. The recent earthquake and tsunami shook Japan very much; however, Japanese people showed immense courage in dealing with the crisis situations. Second World War was another occasion during which japan faced the strongest challenges of its history. The atom bomb attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused immense damages to Japanese economic development. However, Japan was able to put the history behind and they have the shown the world that even after total destruction, they have the ability to rise like a phoenix bird. Japan realized the importance of education nation building and has restructured the educational system completely after the World War 2. Currently Japanese educational system is one among the bests in the world. According to the 2003 statistics, Japan has 23,633 elementary schools, 11,134 junior high schools, 5,450 senior high schools, 995 schools for the handicapped, 702 universities, 525 junior colleges, and 14,174 kindergartens” (Education in Japan). This paper analyses Japan's education system before and after World War Two. Before Second World War, Japan did everything needed to match its educational standards, with that of the western countries. They were great admirers of German and French educational system and tried to imitate those systems in Japan also (Home-Living in Japan). Second World War changed the whole concepts of education in Japan. After WW2, the American influence grown significantly in Japan and it was evident in the educational sector also. Americans introduced six years of elementary school education and four years of university education in Japan. “The old 6-5-3-3 system was changed to a 6-3-3-4 system (6 years of elementary school, 3 years of junior high school, 3 years of senior high school and 4 years of University) with reference to the American system” (Abe). Compulsory education period was raised to 9 years, 6 in elementary school and 3 in junior high school. Entrance examinations were introduced in Japan to find out brilliant students for giving admissions to the higher education. The introduction of entrance examination created a sense of competitiveness among Japanese student community (Home-Living in Japan). The teaching culture in Japan differs greatly from that of schools in the west. Teachers are particularly concerned about developing the holistic child and regard it as their task to focus on matters such as personal hygiene, nutrition, sleep that are not ordinarily thought of as part of the teacher's duties in the west. Students are also taught proper manners, how to speak politely and how to address adults as well as how to relate to their peers in the appropriate manner. They also learn public speaking skills through the routine class meetings as well as many school events during the school year (Education in Japan). Japanese educational system is trying to develop the complete personality of a child. Unlike the western educational system, the teachers in Japan undertake more responsibilities in the making of a Japanese child into a socially acceptable and professionally skilled future citizen. Elementary educational system is completely different in Japan when we compare it with that of other countries. The supervision of teachers in elementary classes is negligible. The children are free to make noises and have the freedom to engage in whatever the activities they like. At the same time, teachers may not give the burden of home works or assignments during this period. In short, Japanese children were able to enjoy the elementary education as much as possible. Such a curriculum approach is undertaken in Japan in order to prevent children from hating education. Even though elementary education is enjoyable to the children, the education following elementary education may not be so. The sense of competitiveness is created during the high school classes among the Japanese children. Entrance examinations were incorporated to identify brilliant students during this period. The streamlining process to develop a child in a particular profession will be started in the high school education period. Another reason for better education in Japan is the quality of teaching. It is not easy to get a teaching profession Japan. Before appointing a teacher, the teacher needs to prove his/her teaching credibility. Apart from oral skills, the teacher should have the ability to adapt himself/herself to the requirements of the children. First or second class teaching certificate is compulsory for all the teachers in Japan. Moreover, the teachers should continue their learning process even when they teach in schools. On completion of training, teachers in elementary and junior schools with a bachelor's degree are awarded a first-class teaching certificate, and those with a junior college certificate are awarded the second-class certificate. At senior high schools, teachers with a Master's degree are awarded a first-class teaching certificate, and those with a Bachelor's degree the second-class certificate. After obtaining the teaching certificate, the final hurdle for a teacher at a public school is to pass an examination set by the prefecture to be appointed a teacher. Once this examination has been passed the teacher may work in any school in that prefecture. However, the license is only valid for one year and if they fail to find employment in that one year, they have to take the exam again (Japanese Schools) Japan is not adamant in sticking with any particular system of education always. They update their educational system and curriculum time to time to meet the changing needs of the students. They are not reluctant in introducing or incorporating new technologies with the educational system in Japan. Computer assisted education is prominent in Japan at present. In fact the ability to adapt with new situations and challenges is the major reason why Japan is still able to maintain highest quality in educational sector. The influence of American culture was earlier visible in Japanese educational system after WW2. However, Japan has realized that the American model may not be suitable to their educational requirements and currently they are trying to move in the opposite direction. As a result of that, currently, “Education reformers in Japan are seeking some decentralization of control, greater diversification of institutions, less uniformity and standardization of curriculum, more flexibility in teaching, and more individualization of instruction”(Reform) To conclude, Japan was able to maintain one of the highest standards of education in the world because of the creative educational reforms implemented in educational sector after WW2. Before WW2, japan was trying to imitate German and French education system and after WW2, they tried to imitate American educational system. However, they realized later that Japan needs an indigenous educational system and the above realization helped them to provide high quality education to its children. Works Cited 1. Abe, Namiko. “The Japanese Education System - Education in Japan”. 2011. Web. 24 May 2011. 2. “Education in Japan”. Web. 24 May 2011. 3. “Home-Living in Japan”. Web. 24 May 2011. 4. “Japanese Schools”. Web. 24 May 2011. 5. “Reform”. Web. 24 May 2011. Read More