Many believe that schools in Japan are wonderful like in the animes. Indeed, Japanese schools function and teach children to make the right decisions that do not harm society or the system. While many Western schools are too liberal, which causes many young people to become delinquents, the rigidity of Japanese schools contributes to peace and the low crime rate. In this article, we will look at the problems of the Japanese educational system.
This rigidity in Japanese schools ends up harming young people and society in various ways. Issues like adolescent suicide, antisocial youth, and the low birth rate are results of Japan’s education system.
The Japanese educational system trains young people to be independent from the age of 6, when they go to school alone. There are extra classes and many positive and fun activities to train the minds of young people during elementary school.
Up to this point, everything is perfect; problems mainly occur when young people go to secondary school. The main problem with Japanese education is its central structure. It was conceived during the Meiji Era to train a society of obedient people with the goal of creating a rich and perfect country.
The system is entirely focused on taking exams through brutal memorization. Although teachers give students total freedom to question, create, or innovate, most students end up having no critical thinking.
Many end up not using their right to choose and express themselves. A large part of the students’ effort goes into irrelevant subjects or useless things. At the same time, while there are thousands of intelligent Japanese students, a large part lacks knowledge of the world.
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Rigidity in Japanese schools
The first thing that happens when a student enters secondary school is the process of self-criticism. Students are guided to lose their self-esteem and ego, imposing strict rules and simple tasks on them.
Students need to follow various rules that seem to make no sense. Even outside of school, in daily life, students must follow rules to not tarnish the school’s name.
Each school has its own rules; some are more liberal, while others are stricter. Below are some rules that show how some Japanese schools are too rigid.
- Dating is not allowed;
- Cannot engage in any voluntary activity without the school’s permission;
- Cannot have a part-time job without the school’s authorization;
- No trips are allowed without the school’s authorization;
- Dress code;
- Cleaning rules;
- Punctuality rules;
- You can see other rules in our article here.
Despite all the rigidity and rules, not all students, teachers, and schools follow them strictly. There will always be leniency, and the school cannot control or know what happens outside or in secret.
Even with so many unnecessary rules, social, emotional problems, and especially bullying occur, and culturally, teachers and students do not make an effort to solve the problem.
Other problems that can affect students
The duration of the Japanese school day can be a nuisance for many people, especially for special needs individuals or those with social problems. It is common for students to spend the entire day at school due to school clubs. One of the main problems in Japanese schools is bullying (ijime), we have already written an article about it, you can read it by clicking here.
Although Japanese schools seem rigid, everyone graduates easily. There is no failure in Japan; teachers are not very strict, they even raise students’ grades or give easier exams.
It is common to see students sleeping in class. Many current teachers receive little support or training; they are incompetent and cannot manage a classroom, while others do not care about the students.
Higher education is even less rigorous, and students are all relaxed. This is evidence that all the rigidity in secondary and high school is useless. The most complicated period of school life is the end of high school, where students prepare to enter college.
Some study crazy feats to pass the entrance exam for the university they desire. This time is really rigid and full of pressure that even causes some young people who are unsuccessful to commit suicide.
Are schools in Japan really that bad?
Although many foreigners and Japanese complain about the points raised in this article, we must take into account that there is no perfect school. Both the Japanese educational system and the educational systems of other countries have their flaws.
Japanese schools work very well for most people; only those who have some resentment or problem with the system feel uncomfortable.
Most students do not face these many extreme rules mentioned in the article. They freely use their cell phones in class, loosely follow the dress code, and have never suffered bullying or corporal punishment.
I do not want to invalidate the experiences of some, but most Japanese had a pretty decent childhood in the Japanese educational system. Those who do not adapt well to public schools in Japan can resort to a Gakushū juku (private school).
Even though some had bad experiences in Japanese schools, one should not generalize! Schools around the world suffer from problems with bullying, social classes, cliques, pressures, and others.
Before placing your child in a Brazilian school in Japan, think carefully about the incredible benefits that the Japanese educational system can provide for your child. Do not only think about the negative aspects; if you take statistics into account, there is no reason to be afraid.
To conclude the article, we recommend reading other articles involving Japanese schools below:
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