Japan Students and Education

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Japan Students and Education

After World War II, Japan was a country left with almost no resources and lacked of man power. However, Japanese had managed to reconstruct the country and make Japan a successful industrialized nation. What had make things change so dramatically? What special magic that Japanese people had used? The answer revealed itself when we look closer at the history of the Japan Education System. According to Okano and Tsuchiya that “Japan education can be split into pre-war period of nationalist schooling (1868-1945) and the post-war one of democratic education (1945-present)” (13). Education was used as the tool to nurture a sense of “nationhood” during pre-war period. In order to overcome the problem after World War II, the post-war one education had changed accordingly to the needs of the society. Education was used as a median to the development of human capital for the Japan’s economic growth. The key for the Japan economically success was education. The success of the Japan education system relied greatly on students; students are the most important element who carries all the expectation from the society. This paper will explore the role play by the students in Japan education system for making the mark.

Making the Mark: Society

The success of the Japan education system after World War II shown that Japan society had lot to expect from their students. Japanese government and society take education seriously and the results and responses from the students out of the commitment are amazing. According to the statistic report from NationMaster.com Japan was ranked thirteen in the school enrollment in primary education with 100.81 percent in year 2000 and was in the first place in the rank of the school enrollment in the secondary education with 101.2 percent in year 2000. On the other hand according to Gail R. Benjamin “… the national system of education [Japan] in 1872 had reached close to 100 percent enrollment levels (200).” Cleary the number hasn’t change much over the century and the success of the education system is inevitable true. Students in Japan play a major role in the success of the education by just participating in the system.

The expectation from the society toward the students changes corresponding from primary school, middle school, high school and university. The primary school students are expectin...

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...unity as a whole.

Works Cited

Benjamin, Gail. Japanese Lessons. New York: New York University Press, 1997

Okano, Kaori, and Tsuchiya, Motonori. Education in contemporary Japan: inequality and diversity. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999

Amano, Ikuo. Japanese College Years. 1988. 19 Nov. 2003 <http://www.askasia.org/teachers/Instructional_Resources/Materials/Readings/Japan/R_japan_15.htm>

Cummings, William K. Postsecondary Education in Japan. 1988. 19 Nov. 2003 <http://www.askasia.org/teachers/Instructional_Resources/Materials/Readings/Japan/R_japan_36.htm>

Imamura, Anne E. The Japanese Family. 1990. 19 Nov. 2003 <http://www.askasia.org/teachers/Instructional_Resources/Materials/Readings/Japan/R_japan_16.htm>

White, Merry. High School Students in Japan. 1988. 19 Nov. 2003 <http://www.askasia.org/teachers/Instructional_Resources/Materials/Readings/Japan/R_japan_13.htm>

“Parent’s Role.” Japanese Junior High Schools. Ms. Walton, Mrs. Thai, Mr. Munoz 24 Nov. 2003 http://www.motthall.org/cq/prole.html

“Dating.” Japanese Junior High Schools. Ms. Walton, Mrs. Thai, Mr. Munoz 24 Nov. 2003 http://www.motthall.org/cq/prole.html

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