Japans System of Education Report 1

Jessica Aguilar | GCU 114 |

Japans System of Education Report

Japans system of education report

Japans system of education can be easily compared to the system that is found
within the United States of America. The system is composed of the familiar parts of education
such as primary school, high school, and college. The difference is that the different parts of the
system are either prolonged are a bit different. For instance, after Junior High the students have
the opportunity to go to school to get there Associates Degree rather than go on to High School.
For the most part, Japans system of education can be looked at and easily seen as one of the best
systems made for children and is clearly made for the benefit of the students rather than the
benefit of the nation itself. Which is in a sense the ideal type of system. The countrys system of
education has even followed the Education for All Goals that were made by UNESCO in 2000
along with the Millennial Development Goals which were to, provide free primary education to
all, achieve a sense of gender equality, and to increase adult literacy.
The first priority of the Global Initiative on Education is to put every child into school.
This priority is pretty self-explanatory as it means exactly what it says, to put all children into
school as education is a right that every single human being on this planet has and should have.
Because of the type of education system Japan has, it gives the children every opportunity to stay
in school or have another option once school becomes something that has to be paid. Primary
school, middle school, and junior high are all free to the children. High school is for the most
part free unless the student chooses to go to a private high school. The tricky thing about High
School in Japan is that the student has to pass High School entrance exams in order to be allowed
into the high school, which is similar to what high schoolers experience in the U.S. before going
to a university. The graph below shows that Japan has a 93 percentage of education attainment
which means that for the most part those who start school in Japan are much likely to finish what
they started until they earn a degree in some sort of field. Therefore, not only do all students get

Japans system of education report

the opportunity to go to school, but they also have the opportunity to finish what they started and
are encouraged in some way or another to do so.
One of the EFA goal that Japans system of education had accomplished is to set a type of
gender equality. It would appear that Japan gives equal opportunities to the students without
having a type of judgmental type system when it comes to gender. In many countries, the biggest
downside is that the students do not have equal opportunities because in many cultures females
are considered to be either weak or looked down on because their only supposed purpose is to
find a man, to have children, and do the house work. Although this is still true for many other
countries, as I learned when doing research on Japan in terms of gender equality women are
much rather celebrated now rather than looked down on. This is also visible in the graph below
which shows female educational attainment at 92% of females who start on a path of education,
finishing it. Japan is also one of countries on the higher list of countries who have high
percentage of education attainment when it comes to females.
Another one of the EFA goals that Japans system of education has accomplished is to
increase the amount of adults who are literate within the country. It was found that about there
was a 99% literacy rate and it also ranked 35 out of 215 countries based on the literacy rate it
had. This is definitely a high achievement as there are many countries out there where the
literacy rate is much lower. This is mainly found in countries where poverty is high and school is
not public but rather cost money. This is a big factor that plays in the high rank Japan has in
literacy because it has public free education all the way up until college which allows many
children born into poverty to overcome poverty and become successful literate adults. That being
said an adult being literate does not necessarily mean they have to finish college. Rather they

Japans system of education report

were given the opportunity to get through at least primary school and to learn to read and write
which is definitely important for all adults and is mainly a life skill that everyone should have.

Japans system of education report

5
Images

The image above shows key facts about Education in Japan from its literacy rate to the duration
of years in different parts of the education system. Citation found below.

Japans system of education report

The image above shows the percentage of womens education attainment for Japan placing it on
the high end compared to other countries. Citations below.

The image about shows the college attainment for the nation of Japan as a whole along with the
years in education being an average of 16.2 years. Citations below.

Japans system of education report

7
References

Priorities. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2015, from

http://www.globaleducationfirst.org/priorities.html
Education For All (EFA). (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2015, from
http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/briefingpapers/efa/
Japan Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2015, from
http://www.ncee.org/programs-affiliates/center-on-international-education-benchmarking/topperforming-countries/japan-overview/
Japan. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2015, from
http://country-facts.findthedata.com/l/82/Japan

Japans system of education report