CONTEMPORARY JAPAN: EDUCATION & WORK Levels of School |
| Much attention has been given to the rigor of the Japanese education system and workplace, both of which have certainly contributed to the country’s economic and technological growth. Japanese are expected from a young age to work hard and succeed in a highly competitive environment. In this video series, Harvard University professors Theodore Bestor and Helen Hardacre explain the educational system and path to postgraduate employment in Japan. |
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Helen Hardacre :: Japanese education is compulsory through middle school. That means primary school, then middle school. However, almost all Japanese pupils go on to high school and at each of these levels they have to pass a very difficult set of examinations — the more so if they’re planning to go to college. And the college examinations are thought to be the most difficult and stressful of all. By the time a Japanese girl or boy has finished high school, they have actually gone through another 180 days longer than an American high school student. The academic year is very long, and, imagine this, there’s even homework during summer school, during the summer break. |
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