The ABC of globalisation

English language education is expected to change significantly in primary schools in Japan, with the launch of a study team by the Education Ministry tasked with discussing reforms.

The group will study a set of proposals presented by the Education Rebuilding Implementation Council to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which include a recommendation to make English an official subject at primary schools.

Among other things, the study team will discuss the possibility of actively utilising scores from Test of English as a Foreign Language and other English proficiency tests as a qualifying measure for entering and graduating from universities.

Since the 2011 academic year, the ministry has required English be taught as a “foreign language activity” for fifth and sixth graders once a week. However, it is not designated as a formal subject and is taught by homeroom teachers, who in most cases are not skilled in English instruction.

Some local governments have been independently implementing English teaching from the first grade.

About 50 per cent of annual English class hours are taught in cooperation with assistant language teachers (ALTs), who are from the United States or other English-speaking nations. At many schools, however, students’ parents and volunteers help fill the gap in classroom instruction. The ministry's team will study possibilities such as making English a formal subject, lowering the grade in which students begin their English education, increasing the required class hours and assigning specialised teachers.

In the current “foreign language activities” conducted at primary schools, students mostly sing songs in English or play games using the language. If the class is designated as a formal subject, textbooks and grading will probably become mandatory.

According to the education ministry, children start studying English in the third grade in China and South Korea. Many people in Japan also support starting English classes in earlier grades.

The regional disparities in the level of English education clearly stem from the variation in fiscal resources among local governments.

The Yachiyo municipal government in Chiba Prefecture introduced English education at the first-grade level in all municipal primary schools this academic year and also doubled the number of ALTs.

“Parents have a strong interest in English education and so we'd like to improve it even further. However, this can be quite costly, so we'd be very grateful if the government improved the system,” says Takashi Kaga ya, the city's superintendent of education.

Stationing specialised English teachers at all public primary schools around the country would cost about 150 billion yen (about Bt45 billion) a year. The ministry does not have any current prospects for securing that amount. 

It is highly likely the ministry's team will look into increasing the number of ALTs and utilising middle school English teachers, according to some observers.

“By making English a formal subject, deciding on appropriate learning goals and instructing students with textbooks, any fluctuations in the quality of classes and regional education levels will be corrected,” says Yumiko Kato, senior researcher at the Benesse Educational Research and Development Centre.