Education in Japan

EDUCATION IN JAPAN

In Japan, education is compulsory at the elementary and lowers secondary levels. Most students attend public schools through the lower secondary level, but private education is popular at the upper secondary and university levels. Japan's education system played a central part in Japan's recovery and rapid economic growth in the decades following the end of World War II.

Education prior to elementary school is provided at kindergartens and day-care centers. Public and private day-care centers take children from under age one on up to five years old. The programs for those children aged 3–5 resemble those at kindergartens. The educational approach at kindergartens varies greatly from unstructured environments that emphasize play to highly structured environments that are focused on having the child pass the entrance exam at a private elementary school.

Junior high school

Lower secondary school covers grades seven, eight, and nine, children between the ages of roughly 12 and 15, with increased focus on academic studies. Although it is still possible to leave the formal education system after completing junior high school and find employment, fewer than 4% did so by the late 1980s.

Like elementary schools, most junior high schools in the 1980s were public, but 5% were private. Private schools were costly, averaging 558,592 yen (US$3,989) per student in 1988, about four times more than the 130,828 yen (US$934) that the ministry estimated as the cost for students enrolled in public junior high school. Teachers often majored in the subjects they taught, and more than 80% graduated from a four-year college. Classes are large, with thirty-eight students per class on average, and each class is assigned a homeroom teacher who doubles as counselor. Unlike elementary students, junior high school students have different teachers for different subjects. The teacher, however, rather than the students, moves to a new room for each fifty or forty-five minute period.

Instruction in junior high schools tends to rely on the lecture method. Teachers also use other media, such as television and radio, and there is some laboratory work. By 1989 about 45% of all public junior high schools had computers, including schools that used them only for administrative purposes. Classroom organization is still based on small work groups of four to six students, although no longer for reasons of discipline.

All course contents are specified in the Course of Study for Lower-Secondary Schools. Some subjects, such as Japanese language and mathematics, are coordinated with the elementary curriculum. Others, such as foreign-language study, begin at this level, though from April 2011 English will become a compulsory part of the elementary school curriculum. The junior school curriculum covers Japanese language, social studies, mathematics, science, music, fine arts, health, and physical education. All students are also exposed to industrial arts and homemaking. Moral education and special activities continue to receive attention. Most students also participate in one of a range of school clubs that occupy them until around 6pm most weekdays (including weekends and often before school as well), as part of an effort to address juvenile delinquency.

High school

Even though upper-secondary school is not compulsory in Japan, 94% of all junior high school graduates entered high schools as of 2005. Private upper-secondary schools account for about 55% of all upper-secondary schools, and neither public nor private schools are free. The Ministry of Education estimated that annual family expenses for the education of a child in a public upper-secondary school were about 300,000 yen (US$2,142) in the 1980s and that private upper-secondary schools were about twice as expensive.

The most common type of upper-secondary school has a full-time, general program that offered academic courses for students preparing for higher education as well as technical and vocational courses for students expecting to find employment after graduation. More than 70% of upper-secondary school students were enrolled in the general academic program in the late 1980s. A small number of schools offer part-time programs, evening courses, or correspondence education.

The first-year programs for students in both academic and commercial courses are similar. They include basic academic courses, such as Japanese language, English, mathematics, and science. In upper-secondary school, differences in ability are first publicly acknowledged, and course content and course selection are far more individualized in the second year. However, there is a core of academic material throughout all programs..

Most upper-secondary teachers are university graduates. Upper-secondary schools are organized into departments, and teachers specialize in their major fields although they teach a variety of courses within their disciplines. Teaching depends largely on the lecture system, with the main goal of covering the very demanding curriculum in the time allotted. Approach and subject coverage tends to be uniform, at least in the public schools.

Universities and colleges

As of 2005, more than 2.8 million students were enrolled in 726 universities. At the top of the higher education structure, these institutions provide four-year training leading to a bachelor's degree, and some offer six-year programs leading to a professional degree. There are two types of public four-year colleges: the ninety-six national universities (including the Open University of Japan) and the thirty-nine local public universities, founded by prefectures and municipalities. The 372 remaining four-year colleges in 1991 were private.

The overwhelming majority of college students attend full-time day programs. In 1990 the most popular courses, enrolling almost 40 percent of all undergraduate students, were in the social sciences, including business, law, and accounting. Other popular subjects were engineering (19 percent), the humanities (15 percent), and education (7 percent).

The average costs (tuition, fees, and living expenses) for a year of higher education in 1986 were 1.4 million yen (US$10,000). To help defray expenses, students frequently work part-time or borrow money through the government-supported Japan Scholarship Association. Assistance is also offered by local governments, nonprofit corporations, and other institutions.

EDUCATION IN INDONESIA

Education in indonesia is the responsibility of the Ministry of National Education of Indonesia (Departemen pendidikan Nasional Republik Indonesia/depdiknas). In Indonesia,all citizen must undertake  nine years of compulsory education, six years at elementary level and three in middle school.

A.    PRIMARY SCHOOL

            Childern ages 6-11 attend Sekolah Dasar (SD) (Literally Elementary School). This level of education is compulosory for all Indonesian citizens, based the national constitution. In contrast to the majority of privately run kindergardens, most elementary school are goverment operated public schools, accounting for 93% of all elementary school in indonesia.

The Stages:

ü  Elementary school

ü  Madrasah Ibtidaiyah

B.     SECONDARY SCHOOL

Middle school, generally known by the abbreviation “SMP” (Sekolah Menengeh Pertama) is part of primary education indonensia. After graduating from elementery school, student attend middle school for three years from the age of 12-14. After three years of shooling and graduation, students may move on to High School or College, or cease formal education.

The Stages:

ü  Junior high school

ü  Madrasah Tsanawiyah

C.    HIGH SCHOOL

In Indonesia, generally known as by the abbreviation “SMA” (Sekolah Menenngah Atas) and SMK (Sekolah Menengeh Kejuruaan). SMA/SMU differ than SMK in their studies. The students at SMA are prepared to be ready to advance to tertiary education while students of SMK are prepared to be ready to ready to work after finishing their school without going to univerity / college based on the national constition, Indonesia citizens do not have to attend high school as the citizens only require nine years of education.

The Stages:

ü  General

v  Senior High school

v  Madrasah Aliyah

ü  Occasional ( kejuruan )

v  Sekolah menengah kejuruan

v  Madrasah Aliyah Kejuruan

D.    COLLEGE EDUCATION

After graduation from high school or college, students may attend  a university (higher education0. The higher education institution is categorized in two types: public and private which supervised by Departement of National education. There are 3 types of higher education institution: Universities, Institutes, and Academy or college.