School in Japan is divided into three levels:
- Primary School (Grades 1-6) - Shogakko
- Middle school (grades 7-9) - chugakko
- High School (grades 10-12) - Kotogakko
The numbering of classes is not continuous, as in Russia, but internal - “first grade of elementary school,” “second grade of high school,” and so on. Parallels are usually indicated by letters of the Latin alphabet: 1-A (first parallel of the first class), 1-B (second parallel of the first class) and so on, or by numbers: 1-1, 1-2 and so on.
Primary and secondary schools in Japan are compulsory for everyone and free of charge. High school is not compulsory, but about 95% percent continue their studies after high school. 48% of high school graduates go on to college (2 years) or university (4 years).
Tuition in high school and university is always paid, but in public institutions it is cheaper. There are also fee-paying private primary and secondary schools. In all paid institutions you can study for free or get a big discount if you win a scholarship competition.
Japanese mothers tend to be very attentive to their children's success. They maintain close contact with teachers, participate in the life of the school, and in case of illness of children, sometimes even go to classes instead of them and take notes on lectures. Such fanatical mothers are called “kiyoiku mama.”
At the same time, the children themselves often “sit on the neck” of their parents until they are about 25-30 years old, when they begin to earn enough to feed themselves.
Briefly about the main thing
The school year in Japan begins in April. Depending on the school, classes last from Monday to Friday or Saturday inclusive. The academic year is divided into three semesters, between which there are short breaks in winter, spring and summer. Schooling lasts 9-12 years. The system itself consists of:
- Primary school (segakko) - 6 years of education.
- High school (chugakko) - 3 academic years.
- High school (kotogakko) - also 3 years.
It is worth noting that attendance at primary and secondary schools is compulsory. However, 97% of students continue their education in high school.
Academy
In addition to regular public schools, there are also private fee-paying academies (gakuen), as well as “national” schools - schools of national importance. To enter them, you need to pass special exams in conditions of great competition. On the other hand, they have better educational programs, and many of them provide non-competitive admission to high school or university.
Typically, the children of the Japanese elite study at academy schools: politicians, businessmen, diplomats, and professors from famous universities. Those who receive scholarships to study at academies often turn out to be “black sheep” and sometimes become the subject of bullying by classmates. Some academies do not require wearing a school uniform.
Knowledge is above all
In the Land of the Rising Sun, education is one of the main goals in life. It is the level of knowledge that determines a person’s future. It is worth noting that the main purpose of the education system in Japan has remained virtually unchanged since the 6th century.
Yes, after the end of the war (in the second half of the twentieth century), it was influenced by European and American education systems, but the Japanese decided not to stray far from previous traditions. In recent years, a proposal has been made several times to change the start date of the school year in Japan so that children, like in many other countries around the world, start studying in September, but no one supported it.
Residents of the Land of the Rising Sun begin to comprehend literacy almost from the cradle. First, parents instill in them the rules of good manners, manners, and teach them to count. Later, the child goes to kindergarten, where he is taught the basic syllabaries: hiragana and katakana. Coming to the first grade of elementary school, students begin to learn kanji - hieroglyphs.
The workload in educational institutions is really heavy. You should especially be afraid of intermediate and final tests. If you compare, Russian schoolchildren are not very worried about tests, but for the Japanese, the mere mention of tests causes nervous trembling. Every Japanese student understands that the score he scores on the test determines which middle and high school he will be accepted into.
It’s the same with studying at universities and colleges. Many companies and firms cooperate directly with educational institutions and offer jobs to the best students after graduation. By the way, to get a good place, students must excel not only academically, but in social and cultural activities.
Organization of studies
Unlike Russian schools, in Japan each class is assigned its own classroom (in Russia, the classroom is assigned to the teacher). Therefore, it is not the students, but the teachers who walk from office to office between lessons. The office assigned to the class is signed with the appropriate sign.
There are different teachers for each grade and each subject, although in small schools this may not be the case. Japanese schools often do not have cafeterias or locker rooms, so students have to eat lunch and hang their clothes in the classrooms. At the end of lessons, students themselves completely clean the school and school grounds. There are no cleaners in Japanese schools.
Joint field trips and excursions to ancient Japanese cities and temples are often organized for schoolchildren. Such excursions usually last up to three to four days.
For most middle and high schools, school uniforms are required. Each school has its own, but in reality there are not many options. Usually this is a white shirt and dark jacket and trousers for boys and a white shirt and dark jacket and skirt for girls, or sailor fuku - “sailor suit”. Primary schoolchildren, as a rule, dress in ordinary children's clothing.
And to be more precise?
For more information, please refer to the Japanese school year calendar.
- First semester: April 6 - July 20.
- Summer holidays: July 21 - August 31.
- Second semester: September 1 - December 24.
- Winter holidays: December 25 - January 6.
- Third semester: January 7 - March 25.
- Spring break: March 26 - April 5.
The time when the school year begins in Japan may vary. Much depends on the educational institution. In the country, of course, there are general recommendations regarding the organization of the educational process, and schools take into account the instructions of the Ministry of Education, but each makes its own adjustments to them. In some schools, classes begin on April 1 or end on March 31.
How to get an education in Japan for free
Although it is believed that there is no free education in Japan, every year one hundred people out of more than 2 million students become scholarship holders of the Japanese government or receive grants. This is available not only to Japanese students, but also to students from other countries.
Government Scholarship
This is the most prestigious program, called MEXT. Very smart students who studied ideally at home, already have one higher education and want to continue their studies in Japan can apply for it.
Discounts on studying in Japan
If you were unable to receive a 100% tuition benefit, do not despair. Some, usually private universities, provide discounts from 25% to 35% to foreign students. You need to find out whether such a system exists at a specific university. Because some universities do not accept foreigners at all.
Preschool institutions
So, how do you study in Japan? It all starts with preschools. There are two types:
- State child care institutions. They are designed for children from two years old, created to help a working mother raise a child. Usually parents teach children manners, but if they don’t have time to raise a child because of work, then this will be done in a primary school.
- Private kindergarten. Designed for older children. Here kids are taught to sing, draw, read and count. In more elite, and therefore more expensive, institutions, they study English. Therefore, children come to school fully prepared.
The main function of preschool institutions is also socialization, and not just acquiring knowledge. The children are shown how to properly establish contact with peers and generally behave in society. In order for a child to be able to get along in any group in kindergarten, and then in schools, the composition of classes is changed annually.
Additional features
After the main classes, students go to kai (kai) - analogues of our circles and sections. The school grounds are equipped with creative studios and sports facilities that you can imagine. All of them are well equipped technically, because this is the most progressive nation in science.
And to tighten up “sagging” objects, there are special courses. They are called juku (joku) and offer schoolchildren programs in individual subjects.
After school, children come here and study hard until the evening.
To first grade
At the age of six, the child enters primary school. The majority of these institutions are public, but you can also find private ones. Subjects in primary school are native language, natural history, mathematics, music, labor, drawing, physical education. Several years ago, English was introduced as a compulsory language, which previously only began to be studied in high school. No homework is assigned.
In elementary school there are no clubs (interest groups), but many extracurricular activities are held, for example, sports festivals or theater performances. There is no school uniform as such in primary classes; students wear regular everyday clothes. An umbrella, a Panama hat and a yellow raincoat are required. These are mandatory items of clothing, especially when children are taken on an excursion. The bright color allows you to quickly find a child in a crowd if he suddenly gets lost.
Club events
Almost all high school students participate in an extracurricular club activity of their choice, such as a sports team, music or art group, or science club.
Baseball clubs are very popular among boys. Football clubs are gaining popularity. Judo clubs, where children train in this traditional martial art, attract boys and girls. They are inspired by the great Japanese athletes who have won medals at the World Judo Championships and the Olympic Games. Other popular sports clubs include tennis, basketball, gymnastics and volleyball. Each sport has many games between schools and at regional level, so students have many opportunities to compete.
Among cultural clubs, the Go players section has recently gained popularity. Go is a strategy board game with black and white stones. After a manga (comic book) about this game was published, more and more schoolchildren began to enjoy Go. Other options for children include choir and art clubs. Also popular are brass bands, tea ceremonies and flower arranging clubs - ikebana.
September 1st, the main day of suicide among children in Japan
To seventh grade
To make it clear, this is training from 7th to 9th grade. In addition to the subjects studied in primary school, exact sciences are added. The number of lessons is increasing. If in a primary school there were a maximum of 4 lessons a day, then in a new educational institution there may be 6-7. Students already have the opportunity to attend hobby groups, in which they spend time until 18:00.
In primary school, all subjects were taught by one teacher, in secondary school, each teacher was assigned a specific lesson. There are more than 30 people in classes.
Interesting Facts:
1. In Japan, all desks are single. 2. The door to the classroom is not the same as we are used to seeing; it opens to the side. That is, it moves from right to left. 3. The board is now electronic in schools.
4. In Japan, a number of suicides occur every year due to students failing exams.
5. In Japan there are still schools called gakuen with separate education for boys and girls. They are similar in type to lyceums, and there are special strict canons that children must obey unquestioningly.
6. Vacations for the Japanese are a time when you can thoroughly study. Weekends are spent the same way - completing tasks, and sometimes there is no time to even go outside.
School and education system in Japan from the 500s to the present day.
Japanese school uniform
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To the tenth grade
Attending high school is not compulsory, but students must graduate in order to enroll in higher education. Here the main focus is on preparing students for university entrance exams. In addition to studying, students must be involved in clubs. Of course, this is not necessary, but similar information will be indicated in the introductory resume, and when interviewing at the university, this factor is paid attention to. Therefore, in every school it is difficult to find a student who does not attend clubs.
Also, high school students are taken on excursions and take part in festivals.
It is worth noting that high school students receive a lot of homework, even despite the availability of vacations and weekends, they have practically no free time left.
Getting higher education
With 94% of students planning to attend college, it appears that compulsory higher education exists in Japan. This is not actually true, but it is very close to the truth. There are a huge number of universities in the country - 728, and the competition in the most prestigious of them is prohibitive - from 20 to 200 people per place.
Education in Japan for foreigners is available on a competitive basis. In addition, a potential student must take preparatory courses in order to receive a qualifying diploma of knowledge of the Japanese language. The document must be certified by the All Japan Teachers Association and approved by the Ministry of Education.
However, it is worth going abroad for courses not only to “pull up” your language, but also to learn the specifics of studying at universities in Japan. The fact is that there are no mandatory lectures or seminars to attend - the student only has to earn 125-150 so-called credit units, and passing one test or exam is equivalent to 1-2 units. Thus, during 4-6 years of study, a student must choose subjects that interest him and master them. Cheating on exams is strictly prohibited - for this, the student will lose all credits and be expelled from the university, and the money spent will not be reimbursed.
Education for migrants from the CIS
Most universities teach in Japanese. So if you are interested, for example, in training for Kazakhstanis, you should not expect that abroad you will be able to speak your native language. Japan is an extremely closed country, and there are very few people from the CIS there (no more than 40,000 people in the entire country).
Studying for Ukrainians in Japan involves the following algorithm: first you improve your language, complete preparatory courses, and only then apply to a university. These rules are relevant for both future bachelors and graduate students.
Defense of a diploma/dissertation in any European language is permitted in exceptional cases.
However, in some cases it is still possible to get an education in Japan in English. This mainly happens in branches of US universities located in Japan (for example, Sophia University). In addition, at some universities you can take an entrance interview in English, but the training will be in Japanese.
Juku
The school year in Japan is not just about school lessons and clubs. In the Land of the Rising Sun there are special private educational institutions that offer additional classes. In general, they are divided into two types:
- Non-academic. The child is taught art, the rules of the tea ceremony, traditional board games (Go, Shogi, etc.), or the student can attend some kind of sports section.
- Academic. Schoolchildren are taught various sciences, including foreign languages. Students usually come here who cannot master school material or have been absent from school for a long time. Also, those who want to successfully pass intermediate tests or entrance exams come here.
The reason for visiting such schools may be the number of people in the group (10-15 students). Naturally, information is better absorbed in such a small team. Students can also visit such institutions with friends. It is also worth noting that such schools are quite expensive, so not every family can afford them. But the student who refuses extracurricular activities has a disadvantage among his peers. This can only be compensated for by self-education.
Pros and cons of education in Japan
Let's summarize and see what are the pros and cons of studying in the Land of the Rising Sun
Pros of studying in Japan
- Prestigious international diploma.
- High employment opportunities.
- Relatively low cost of training.
- Getting to know an absolutely amazing culture.
- Opportunity to stay in the country after graduation.
Disadvantages of studying in Japan
- There is very high competition for admission to state universities.
- Training is often only in Japanese.
- Few English-language programs.
- High intensity and complexity of training.
- High cost of living.
If you dream of going to study and live in Japan, remember - anything is possible. You need to be active, find out what your options are, try and take risks. And, of course, study well. And if you need help in studying and writing any type of work, contact our student service.
Timetable
Schools are usually located about 10 minutes' walk from the student's home. Classes start at 08:30. On Mondays, before classes, a “line-up” is held, at which the director speaks. On other days, this time is reserved for school announcements and attendance. In Japan, special attention is paid to visiting. If a student misses too much, he may be repeated a year or expelled from school.
From first to sixth grade, lessons last 45 minutes, in middle and high school - 50 minutes. There are 5-10 minute breaks between lessons. After the fourth lesson (around 12:30) there is a long lunch break - 1 hour. Students either eat in the cafeteria or bring their own bento, a home-cooked lunch. Those who try to start their meal before the specified time are severely punished. This is the education system in Japan.
Daily routine and study schedule
The Japanese have always been considered a very collected, organized and hardworking nation - this is taught here from an early age.
Studying takes place in two shifts: morning and afternoon. The class schedule looks something like this:
- elementary: 4 lessons of 45 minutes;
- average: 6 lessons of 50 minutes;
- senior: classes are held almost like at a university - from 8 am to 6 pm.
Breaks for all students are quite short - 5-10 minutes. In the middle of the day there is an hour break for lunch, which schoolchildren bring from home or can go to the store for it.
The entire academic year is divided into three trimesters:
- from April to July;
- from September to December;
- from January to March.
There are vacations, of course, but studying is considered such a serious thing that all free time is spent doing homework, consolidating material, and preparing for exams.
They even like to make fun of Japanese schoolchildren: “the holidays are the best time to get busy studying.”
Other educational institutions
Mostly men study at Japanese universities. Today, like a hundred years ago, it is believed that a woman should be the keeper of the home, and not the director of the company. True, exceptions are becoming more and more common. Such institutions include:
- Colleges.
- State and private universities.
- Colleges of Technology.
- Institutions of further higher education.
- Schools of special vocational training.
In Japan, the academic year at universities and colleges also begins in April. Girls usually go to college, they study the humanities, and the learning process itself lasts only 2 years.
In technological colleges you have to study for 5 years, where you study various specialties. After graduation, you can enter the university immediately for the 3rd year.
There are 500 universities in the country. One hundred of them are government agencies. To enter a private university, you need to pass an exam offered by the chosen educational institution. To enter a state institution, you also need to pass the “General First Level Achievement Test.”
After high school
The transition from middle school to high school is based on exam results. First, based on his school performance, the student receives a list of high schools to which he has a chance of admission. He then takes a transition exam, and based on his results and previous performance, the question of which high school the student will enter is decided.
Good students end up in prestigious high schools, bad students end up in run-down schools for those who do not intend to pursue higher education. Such schools focus on home economics, agriculture, and so on. Their graduates have no career prospects.
Those who do not choose to enroll in high school can enroll in five-year “technical colleges”—vocational schools. However, entering them is not so easy - there is a lot of competition for the best of them, since skilled workers are highly valued in Japan. Some technical colleges are owned by large firms, and their graduates are immediately employed.
Price
Getting an education in this country is expensive. The cost of one academic year in Japan varies from 500 thousand to 800 thousand yen. True, there are programs that allow you to get a scholarship, but there is too much competition: for 3 million applicants there are only one hundred budget places.
Yes, education here is an expensive pleasure, but only those who graduate from university can get a prestigious job and then take a leadership position. This is only in Russia - a diploma - often a useless crust, which indicates that a person has been doing something for five years. In Japan, this is a pass to a cloudless and bright future.
Inclusive education in Japan
It is worth talking separately about inclusive education in Japan. Children with special needs have their own specialized kindergartens and schools, where they not only study, but also undergo rehabilitation programs. If developmental differences do not manifest themselves too strongly, such a child can attend regular educational institutions. If he is unable to attend school, home schooling is arranged.
The law on the right of every child to receive an education according to his or her abilities was passed in Japan immediately after World War II in 1945.
