CONTEMPORARY JAPAN: EDUCATION & WORK Level of Skills |
| 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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Theodore Bestor :: In part because the Japanese school year is longer, I think that the summer vacation is only 40 days a year, and in part because the education system puts such as emphasis on mastering basic skills in science, mathematics, and so forth, by the time a Japanese student graduates from high school, an ordinary public high school education in Japan, it’s likely that they have science and math skills at a level that a sophomore or a junior in an American college or university would have. Helen Hardacre :: There are many problems with the educational system in Japan. However, it is worth pointing out that basically a hundred percent of the population is literate, and that the levels of achievement in science, math and other skills of Japanese high school students are among the highest in the industrialized world. |
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