The Ebb and Flow of Japanese Educational Reform: The End of

Neo-liberal Reform

Masato WadaTokyo Gakugei University

The lecture examines the current situation of the Japanese education system after the LDP’s fall from power last year and the subsequent end of their neo-liberal education reforms. These reforms were conducted under the name “yutori kyoiku” and aimed at developing individual talent and incorporating free-market ideals into education. The lecture will touch upon problems related to the decrease in classroom hours, bureaucratic control of teachers and textbook contents, nationally standardized testing, the growing discrepancy in academic skills between students, overfilled classrooms (similar to the situation 100 years ago, which will be illustrated with old movies), and various social issues. Participants are encouraged to express their opinions as well.

The end of Neo-Liberal education

Japan 6-3-3 single track structure• 6 years: elementary school (compulsory), 6-12

• entrance examination 17.6% for private secondary school(2009,aroud Tokyo)

• 3years: lower secondary school (compulsory), 12-15

• entrance examination for all

• 3years: upper secondary school(96.4%) ,15-18

entrance Examination

• University(50.2%) & Vocational School (3.8%)

– 18(19)-22(23)

• Occupation(soon after graduation)

New Structure

1. Public Secondary School (Lower and Upper)

Students take a School’s original examination for entrance.

2. On the public lower secondary school, a cram school’s teacher teach the students on Saturday.

LDP changed the education law• New Fundamental Law of Education(2006)

– Cutting the tie with “Constitution”

– Legislation of patriotism

– Emphasis of Norms and Virtues

– Complete dominance of the centralized educational administration

• New 3 Acts(2007)

– School Education Act: new position; Chief & Vice-Principle

– Act Concerning Organization and Operation of Regional Educational Administration: MEXT can order regional educational bureau.

– Teachers License Act and Public Service Education Special Act: 10 years teaching license system

aimed at developing individual talent and incorporating free-market ideals into education.

1.decrease in classroom hours and thin text book(2002-2010)

2. bureaucratic control of teachers(2009-)

3. nationally standardized testing(2007-2009)

4. school district free system(2003-)

LDP’s neo-liberal education reforms “yutori kyoiku” 2002-2010

1.Five-day week system : decrease of learning contents and thin text book.2. Integrated Study: 3hours per week

“Sougouteki na Gakusyu no Jikan”;Problem Solving Project”(No textbook)“Tatemae”(stated principle)

Children will have an ability of zest of living.“Honne”(real intention)Not make boring the talented children and develop

their capabilities.Not use a time for poor academic performance

children.

1.decrease in classroom hours and thin text book

1.1 No class on Saturday • For equality of teacher’s working condition

with private company.

• There is a class on private school on Saturday.

• Local sports club can not play the game on Saturday. Children on private school have a class.

• Teacher have to work for club activities on Saturday. Teacher get a money ¥1700(100DEK) on Saturday’s all days work.

educational textbook system

Educational boards adaption textbook . Free shipping in compulsory education

MEXT and Publisher

MEXT: Censor the sample text book Publisher: Revise the text book

PublisherPublish sample textbook along with course of study

MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology)

Course of study

2.Bureaucratic control of teacher’sHierarchy

MEXT

Education board

Principal

Vice principal

Chief

teacherTeacher license

renewal system

Teacher recruitment exam

test (competition)

2.1 Teacher license renewal system

• A teacher has to take 30 hours class in Uni for license renewal every 10 years.

• “Tatemae” （stated principle)

– Teacher needs in-service training

• “Honne”(real intention)

– For Teacher’s Union crash

• Chef, Vice principle and Principle have no class.

• MEXT makes the training contents

•6 grade’s and 9 grade’s all pupil test

•paper and pencil test: Japanese and mathematics

•Tatemae (stated principle)

Evaluating strictly pupil’s achievement

Honne( real intention)

Making school rank by performance

Give the budget for high rank school and put pressure on the teacher of low rank school.

Scrap and build of schools

3.Nationally standardized testing

4. school district free system(2003)

• Educational board can make school free district system.

• Parents can select their children’s public school without school district.

• There are many pupils in popularity school(high ranking school).

• There are small pupils in unpopularity school(low ranking school)→abolish school

– Liberal and Competitive

Koizumi’s Privatalisation1. Government University→Corporation University2. Official staffs→ corporation staffs3. Certain Grants Management→ decrease the found; 1% cut in every year. Reform reward system. → Part-time lecturers followed by retired professor

LDP’s neo-liberal education reforms of University

1.decrease in classroom hours and thin text book

→increase in classroom hours (3-6%, 15% for science and mathematics)

3. nationally standardized testing for all pupils

→ nationally standardized testing in sampling

education change of DP

New policy of DP

• 40-pupils-per-class system is investigating

• Free school fee of upper secondary public school(¥120000 grant for private school) on the 1st April,2011.

• Children payment; ¥13000 per month for 0-15 years old children.

Teacher Training New Plan（3,June,2010)

• Upper rank teacher license; Learning in graduate school(Teacher’s MBA) after 8 year’s teaching

• Teacher license 6 year’s system; 4 year’s undergraduate school and 2 year’s graduate school (Teacher’s MBA; 1year’s lecture and 1 year’s teaching practice)

• Verification of teacher license renewal system

• Collaboration with University and education board in pre and in service teacher training

Immobilization of Social Strata

• Immobilization of Social Strata

– Grand father was Prime minister

– Student of Tokyo University(2008)

• 17.6%;Under ¥4500,000(300000DKK)/year

• 36.5%;Over ¥ 10500000(700000DKK)

• White color’s workers average salary– Male: ¥4300000(286000DKK), Female :¥2710000(181000DKK)

Prime Minister in JapanParty LDP LDP LDP LDP DP DP

Name JyuichiroKoizumi

ShinzoAbe

YasuoFukuda

TaroAsou

YukioHatoyama

NaotoKan

Position Secretary ofDefence

PrimeMinister

PrimeMinister

PrimeMinister

PrimeMinister

relatives Father:Shinya,G.F;Matajiro(M of Post Office)

Grand Father:NobusukeKIshi

Father;Takeo

Grand Father; Shigeru Yoshida

GrandFather; Ichiro

Gini coefficient (Wikipedia)

0;entirely equality,

1;entirely inequality

Minimum wage

• Okinawa(¥629=42DKK/1hour)-Tokyo(¥791=53DKK)(2009)

Japanese Secondary education 2.6% of GDP

MEX

TUR

ISR

BRA

CHL

ISL

NZL

USA

KOR

IRL

NOR

AUSDNK

LUX

FRA

NLD

UKM

FIN

BEL

SWE

SVK

POL

CHE

AUT

HUN

POR

EST

DEU

CZE

SVN

ITA

JPN

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Chart B2.3. Expenditure on primary and lower secondary educational institutions as a percentage of GDP and proportion of the

population aged 5-14 (2006)

Expenditure on primary to lower secondary educational institutions as a percentage of GDP

Percentage of the population aged 5-14 years old

Please refer to the Reader's Guide for the list of country codes used in this chart.Source: OECD. Tables B2.2 and B2.3. See Annex 3 for notes (www.oecd.org/edu/eag2009).

1. Lecture style; teacher teaches many pupils at a time in the classroom.

2. 1 class room contains 40 pupils.

3. MEXT decides the context of education and textbook.

4. Examination and competition

Modern education is similar to Meiji period(100 years ago) education

reference

• MEXT(Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology)

– http://www.mext.go.jp/english/

• Education at a Glance 2009: OECD Indicators

– http://www.oecd.org/document/62/0,3343,en_2649_39263238_43586328_1_1_1_37455,00.html

“Juku”: Cram School

• Begin Japanology Cram Schools 1 3(YouTube)