EDUCATION SYSTEM

EDUCATION SOCIETY LIST OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES School Life Professional Life Studying in Japan

Some important characteristics of the Japanese education system are its high standard and its uniformity throughout the country. All public schools are run by the Ministry of Education, and the curriculum for all students in the elementary and secondary schools is almost identical. When Japan opened itself to the world in 1868, it was keen in catching up with the Western world. The Japanese were searching for the systems in Western countries that seemed to be the most advantageous and adapted it for Japan. In the field of education, the Japanese took over many elements of the German and French education systems. After the war, the Americans introduced their system into Japan which consists of six years elementary school, each three years of junior and senior high school and usually four years university or two years junior college. Compulsory are the elementary and junior high school, but almost all students continue and finish at least high school. At universities the percentage of male students is higher than the one of female students. The situation is opposite at junior colleges. The number of graduate university students is relatively low since it is more common to start working for a company after only four university years. The Japanese school year starts in April and consists of three terms, separated by short holidays in spring and winter, and a one month summer break. Another characteristic of the Japanese school system are the entrance exams, and with it a high competitiveness among students. High schools, universities, as well as some private junior high schools, elementary schools, and even a few kindergartens have entrance exams. The better the status of the school, the more difficult is the entrance exam. Many students attend special preparation schools besides regular classes, or for one or even two years between high school and university in order to pass the entrance exam to a good university. The importance of a person's academic background is high. The most prestigious universities are the old national universities: University of Tokyo, University of Kyoto, etc., followed by the best private universities. Students who graduate from those universities can be sure to find a good job. Nowadays, there are voices that want to reform the present system and lessen the importance of the entrance exams. Read more on the page about School Life.

School system Education system (Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture) The official information. Education in Japan (Asia Internet Plaza) Inofficial, general information. National Education Center, Japan Non-profit organization to contribute to the national enhancement of education in Japan. Statistics (Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture) Statistics on student numbers etc. National Education Center, Japan Non-profit organization to contribute to the national enhancement of education in Japan.