Characteristics of japanese schooling - Research Paper Example

Characteristics of Japanese schooling: Introduction: Although Japan has always been in the forefront in technological and scientific areas, yet the educational systems prevalent in Japan have evoked mixed views among the Japanese people. There is a large number of people who want the system to be more flexible to the students because the current level of strictness has caused many to send their children to schools in addition the regular public schools children attend during the daytime. Japan conventionally follows a strict layout of curriculum and coursework for education at all levels and room for modification in curriculum or the educational trends in Japan is little, despite the fact that it contrasts with the diverse level of competency among the Japanese students. (myjapanphone.com, 2010). There are fundamentally two types of schools in Japan, namely Juku and Yobiko, that are utilized as a means to enhance the performance of students in schools right from the very early years to higher college and university level. This paper discusses the two types of schools and evaluates their significance in the Japanese educational setup. Juku Schools: Children in Japan are made to attend the Juku schools in addition to the regular public schools with a view to improving their performance in studies in the public schools. These Juku schools may consume up to several hours of the child’s day in addition to the regular time he/she spends in the public school. This makes a student quite lethargic, yet most students have little choice but to accede to the will of their parents to attend the jukus. Attending jukus is considered very important among the Japanese parents specially because they are seen as a means of improving the scores of children in the tests that make a p\art of their formal education in schools. Jukus prepare the students for their tests by giving them additional tuition, and impart special attention to each student that he/she might not be getting in the public school. Students are taught lessons with a view to equip them with sufficient knowledge so that they can qualify in entrance exams. Besides, many parents send their children to jukus because the jukus offer education in certain subjects that are not a part of the children’s educational curriculum in schools they attend during the day. Jukus generally offer courses in mathematics, Japanese and English literature, social and scientific studies. (bookmice.net, n.d.). In addition to that, children are provided with an opportunity to gain lessons in arts and crafts. Children learn to play piano, swim and do such other recreational activities in jukus. Yobiko schools: Yobiko are another sort of schools that are functional in Japan in addition to jukus and certified schools. “Yobiko schools are large enterprises, with some enrolling as many 35,000 in banches across the country.” (Spring, 56). They are also known as “Preschools” and were initially designed to cater for the competency enhancement needs of ronon, “masterless samurai” candidates who failed to qualify in the entrance exam of universities in Japan, but are willing to give it a second try after completing their graduation from high schools. Yobikos offer training and extra coaching in a diverse nature of subjects. Yobikos are not attended on daily basis. Most Yobikos offer coaching twice or thrice a week including Saturdays, preferably in the Summer or Winter vacations and generally charge between 100000 to 200000 yens a month. (Sugita, 2002). Courses offered in yobikos are more advanced than those in jukus in that they pertain majorly to enhance the capability of students to qualify for admission in renowned universities in Japan, who indeed, hold a tough criteria for the selection of students. Although jukus and yobikos offer quite rich training to the children that is essential for their development in academics and extra-curricular activities, yet it becomes quite taxing for a child to manage the load of jukus and yobikos in addition to the regular studies at school. As much as half of the children in Japan that go to schools also register in these institutions. Parents are not reluctant to abandon the practice because it ensures the inculcation of many good skills in the children. Also, jukus and yobikos are often within the range of many parents in the Japanese society. However, a lot of people are skeptical about the utility of practice since the exertion children have to go through cannot be denied. Yet there are parents who consider jukus and yobikos a necessary part of their children’s education. Despite all the positive influences they have on the academic nurturing of Japanese children, it cannot be ignored that many juku and yobiko runners are making a lot of money from their schools. These institutions have indeed, proved a profitable business for a considerable members of Japanese community. Juku and yobiko runners cash the parents’ fear that the curriculum in their formal education in public schools is not sufficient to raise the academic potential of their children. Controversies against jukus and yobikos have surfaced to the extent that some Japanese people are of the view that they are indeed, business partners of many certified schools in Japan. The schools naturally design their curriculum in such a way that children can not manage their work without seeking help from the jukus and yobikos. Conclusion: Increasing general reliance of people on part-time educational institutions like jukus and yobikos has paved way for many businessmen to adopt this as their profession since the practice guarantees huge monetary benefits. However, an in-depth analysis of the routine of students that go to these institutions suggests that these students spend a major portion of their day in schools. This is adversely affecting their social life as they do not get enough time to socialize with their friends and family. This may result in the production of a silo-minded generation in which the individuals lack bondage. In addition to that, people’s trust in jukus and yobikos more than on public schools speaks bad of the role of formal educational institutions in the overall academic nurturing of students in Japan. Bibliography: “The problems in Japanese Education.” 2010. Accessed November 8, 2010. http://www.myjapanphone.com/japan_travel_resource/Studying_in_japan/The_pr oblem_in_Japanese_education.html. “Juku and Yobiko.” n.d. Accessed November 8, 2010. http://www.bookmice.net/darkchilde/japan/juku.html. Spring, Joel H. Education and the rise of the global economy. NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc., 1998. Sugita, Shoji. “Cram schools (Juku) and Preschools (Yobiko) in JAPAN.” 2002. Accessed November 8, 2010. http://www.aba.ne.jp/~sugita/68e.htm. Read More