The Japanese Education System (3)
Cram Schools
Japan is probably the country with the largest number of preparatory schools in the world. Although in some countries including France and England, entrance or qualifying examinations for advanced schools is very difficult, no other countries have juku (cram schools). There was a time in Japan, when people relied on private tutors, but private tutors could not cope with the intensifying entrance examination competition.
Japan even has them for entering prestigious private kindergartens. Some Japanese parents are eager to send their children to such kindergartens, which are also associated with prestigious university, and in most cases guarantee that the students can go on all the way to university.
Many students, ranging from elementary school students to those who fail and make a second (or more) try to enter university, go to juku to prepare themselves to successfully pass entrance examinations. These exams weed out applicants by a rote-learning type of written test and special training is required. The standard education received at school alone is not enough to survive examination war and juku makes the difference. It is not unusual to see children going to juku 2-3 hours a day after school, 3-4 days a week.
A fiscal 1993 Ministry of education study found 24% of elementary school children, 50% of junior high school students and 60% of high school students are going to juku. Japanese society emphasizes on the academic career. The diploma from first-rated universities is one of the important requirements to get quickly promoted in a job, which is behind this entire obsession.
This Week's Sentence:
- There was a time in Japan, when people relied on private tutors.
Translate it into Japanese. Check out the answer on the bottom of the page.
The Japanese Education System: (1), (2), (3)
Previous Features Where Do I Begin
The Answer
- Nihon demo katei-kyoshi ni tayotteita jidai ga arimashita.
Vocabulary
| nihon | Japan |
| katei-kyoshi | private tutor |
| tayoru | to rely on |
| jidai | time |
Grammar
"~ jidai ga arimashita" means "There was a time, when ~".
| Disuko ga ninki no atta jidai ga arimashita. |
There was a time when disco was popular. |
