Education in Japan is the cult supported by a family, society and the state. From young nails Japanese constantly and intensively study. At first – to be admitted to prestigious school, then – to go on a competition to the best university, after – to get for work to the respected and prospering corporation. The principle of “lifelong hiring” accepted in Japan grants to the person the right only for one attempt to take the worthy place in society. The good education is considered a guarantee that it will be successful.
The Japanese mothers are simply mad about that their children got the best education. In conditions when most of Japanese is on one welfare (72% of residents of the country rank themselves as middle class and have approximately identical income), education of children are the only thing in what they can compete.
The saying – ‘live and learn’ is quite applicable to the Japanese education system. In the life Japanese study nearly a quarter of the century, since 3 – x summer age, that is from kindergarten.
At elementary school children are trained from 6 to 12 years. Having finished the sixth class, young Japanese, having mastered the phonetic alphabet, gain only basic knowledge according to the hieroglyphic letter. By the end of occupations at elementary school they master about one thousand signs. It is a lot of if to consider that for reading newspapers it is necessary to know one thousand eight hundred hieroglyphs.
At high school of the first step where Japanese spend three years, the baggage of hieroglyphs increases to two thousand. At the same time school students manage to master such objects as a foreign language, technology bases, housekeeping, music basics, gain primary knowledge of art criticism. On it compulsory education comes to the end.
The following step – high school of the second step at which school students study till 18 years. This paid education. It is possible to choose at will general education or special office. In general education office there are streams for those who are going to go to the university, and for those who want to be limited to secondary education.
Specialized offices are widespread in the small cities and in villages. Depending on local traditions, they can have the profile: technological, agriculture, sea trade, commercial.
Graduates of full high school in Japan can graduate at universities and institutes. The system of the higher education includes the following main four types of educational institutions:
· Universities of a full cycle (4 years)
· Universities of the accelerated cycle (the training term – 2 years, students specialize in such directions as economy, literature, foreign languages, pedagogics)
· Professional colleges (the training term no more than 3 years are also focused on those who wish to get an uzkotekhnichesky education)
· Technical institutes (the training term – 5 years also give broad technical training)
At medical and veterinary faculties training continues 6 years. These are generally private educational institutions. After the termination of the main 4-year course the graduate can enter the MA course or doctoral studies. Training term in a magistracy – 2 years, in doctoral studies – 5 years.
Conditions of reception of foreign students in Japan
The student – the foreigner wishing to come to one of universities of Japan has to have 18 full years, the certificate about the termination of high school in the homeland, the document confirming that it passed at least, 2-semestrial preparation on Japanese or to English in the homeland. Filing of application about enrollment of students happens during the period from June to August every year. Teaching in higher education institutions of Japan is generally conducted in Japanese, but some universities conduct teaching and in English.
Short-term special training in Japan
In recent years the Ministry of the higher education of Japan began to pay special attention to short-term forms of receiving vocational education for students – foreigners. Short-term options of education in Japan are focused on such fields of knowledge as Japanese, the Japanese literature and culture, economy, social science. As the program of preparation on these to the directions provides a limited time span (till 1 year), it is conducted in English.
Japanese is considered one of the most difficult in the world. However, without having studied it, you will not be able neither to understand customs and culture of Japan, nor to get into a management essence in Japanese, nor to study at the Japanese universities. There is an opportunity to learn Japanese directly in Japan.
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