Remember “examination hell?” Preparation for high school entrance examinations is a main focus. That is what students at Kurishima Junior High School in Tokyo experience.
I welcome you to Kurishima Junior High School. It is one of many junior high schools in Tokyo Metropolis. We are standing in front of Kurishima Junior High School.
Let me tell you about middle school in Japan. From age 12 children proceed to middle schools. At this point about 5.7 percent of students attend private schools. The main reasons why parents choose such schools are high priority on academic achievement. They may also wish to take their children out of the high school selection race. Such schools allow their students direct entry into their affiliated high schools. They can often enter affiliated universities.
Attendance for the three years of junior high school education is compulsory. More than 90 percent of junior high schools are public coeducational institutions. Each year students are assigned to a homeroom. There is a maximum of 40 students. The average class size in 2010 was 29.4. For the most part classes are not segregated based on ability. Some schools have implemented streaming systems for math and English classes.
The standard curriculum includes these required subjects. Japanese language, social studies, mathematics and science are all required. A foreign language elective is needed. This is almost always English. Students also study music and fine arts. Health and physical education is vital. Industrial arts or homemaking complete the set. Requirements also include extracurricular activities. Moral education is important. Integrated study is also a must.
Almost all 15-year-olds go through examination hell. They must take the entrance examination for academically ranked high schools. To be competitive many middle school students attend juku after school. Juku is a cram school. To ease the intensity of the competition the Ministry of Education suggests diversifying criteria for high school admissions. To mitigate the rigid uniformity of middle school education students can take several elective classes. “Integrated study” is designed by each school. It has the goal of stimulating students’ individuality and imagination.
In 2003 there were 3748319 students in junior high schools. All public middle schools follow a standard national curriculum. It is stipulated in the MOEs Course of Study. The 1998 Course of Study for 2002 onward states the purpose of middle school education. It is for whole-person education.
Whole-person education emphasizes students’ physical and mental development. Each school helps students to nurture energy for life. Students learn and think independently. They develop their knowledge individuality and creativity.
All children from seventh to ninth grade attend middle school. They are aged 12-15. They attend after six years of primary education. The continuing decrease in the number of childbirths has caused the number of middle school students to drop. Numbers went from 6106000 in 1986 to 3748000 in 2003. In 2003 there were 10358 public middle schools. There were 700 private middle schools. There were 76 national middle schools. These were affiliated with national universities. There were 183 newly established six-year secondary schools.
Every three or four years the teachers are rotated from one school to another. This maintains a consistent quality of instruction. Less than half of all teachers are female. In 2001 the average teacher was 41.8 years old. Almost all middle school teachers teach only one subject. They specialize in it.
Let’s reflect on the importance of Kurishima Junior High School and others like it. They prepare students for their future and for high school entrance exams.