Some Amazing Features of Japan's Edution System
Thailand's image is truly amazing. In the many ways it has captured the world's imagination - and several other countries (Malaysia and India) have copied this successful branding phrase. But Japan is also amazing, particularly with respect to some of its
As is true of nearly all countries there are positive and negative aspects to Japan's educational system. With respect to the dark side there is what has been called "examination hell" and the associated stress of juku (coaching school) attendance. There is also the perception that much Japanese undergraduate education is not that rigorous and students really enjoy themselves at this level after having survived a highly competitive and stressful basic education that strongly influences chances for admission to prestigious universities.
The Princeton economist Paul Krugman has stressed that the key to a nation's future is the productivity of its people. During the period, 1960-1990, Japan's individual productivity increased at a rate unprecedented in world history. Many development analysts suggest that a major factor in this success was the high quality of Japan's basic education system.
Two aspects of Japan's basic education system make it amazing and stand out as a global leader. First is its success in moral education. I had not fully appreciated this until spending my sabbatical in Japan during 2006-2007.
Let me share a few concrete examples. In Japan it is insulting to count your change after buying something. The clerk would never short-change you.
As a "sports nut" I often used the gym at Nagoya University. I was shocked that there were no locks on the lockers. This is unthinkable in the US and probably in Thailand as well.
One day I visited a public school which had included unicycle riding as part of the physical education curriculum to teach both physical balance and the importance of perseverance. Outside the schools were all the unicycles. None were locked.
One day in Japan I needed to copy a large volume of student papers. I went to a copy shop near my residence. The clerk clearly noticed that I was not too pleased when I heard the relatively high cost per page. Seeing my reaction, she gave me the directions to another copy shop nearby that was much cheaper.
Another concrete example relates to the long snake-like Japanese queues. Normally most Japanese queues are quite orderly. The frustrating "horizontal queues" commonly found in Southeast Asia are nowhere to be found in Japan.
Finally and this is truly the most amazing example. Even late at night in Japan when there may be no car in sight, Japanese pedestrians will wait patiently for the light to turn green. I can't imagine Thai or American pedestrians showing such law abiding behaviour.
The second amazing aspect of Japanese education is how they have done a wonderful job in providing high quality basic education throughout Japan even to those in remote areas. As scholars such as William Cummings, Martin Rait, and James Shield have shown, Japan has an impressive level of educational equality.
In a global era of educational policy borrowing, it might be useful to fund a Thai scholar fluent in Japanese language and culture to study carefully how the Japanese have managed to achieve this amazing level of moral education and equality of education.
GERALD W FRY
Professor of International/Intercultural Education
Department of Organisational Leadership, Policy and Development
University of Minnesota
