Envisioning Tokyo’s educational landscape, I want to tell you about Hamakawa Junior High School. This school is at 3-18-34 Higashi-oi in Shinagawa-ku Tokyo. It is a municipal junior high school.
Hamakawa Junior High School is more than just an address. Kokosil Shinagawa lists Hamakawa Junior High School in its information base. It is a place where students learn and grow.
Japanese middle schools like Hamakawa Junior High School focus on academics. They also focus on preparing students for high school. Entrance exams are very important. Many students attend juku or cram school after regular school. This helps them compete. The Ministry of Education suggests diversifying high school admissions criteria. This is to ease the intensity.
What is it like inside Hamakawa Junior High School? Well middle school education in Japan emphasizes whole-person education. It helps students develop physically and mentally. Every school helps students nurture energy for life. Students learn and think independently. They develop their knowledge and individuality. Creativity is also important.
All children attend middle school from ages 12 to 15. This is after six years of primary education. Most junior high schools are public coeducational institutions. Each year students are assigned to a homeroom. There can be up to 40 students. The average class size in 2010 was about 29. Students take their classes with their homeroom. Classes are usually not segregated by ability. Some schools use streaming systems for math and English.
The standard curriculum is broad. It includes Japanese language and social studies. Math science and a foreign language are required. Almost all students choose English. Music fine arts health and physical education are included. Students also take industrial arts or homemaking. Extracurricular activities are part of the requirements. There is also moral education and integrated study.
Public middle schools follow a national curriculum. This is stipulated in the MOE’s Course of Study. The 1998 Course of Study focused on whole-person education. It emphasizes students’ physical and mental development.
Teachers are rotated every three or four years. This helps maintain consistent instruction quality. Less than half of all teachers are female.
The MOE has worked to reduce class sizes. It subsidizes temporary teachers. It also hires teacher’s aides. There are retirees and community volunteers with qualifications to work as classroom aides. Starting in 2001 the MOE hired 50000 teacher’s aides for elementary and middle schools. Volunteers assist in classes and extracurricular activities. They also work in the library and on school grounds.
As we stand here let’s appreciate Hamakawa Junior High School’s role. It shapes the lives of its students. It prepares them for their futures in Tokyo and beyond. It builds the next generation.