Education system : Japan vs other countries

[Maciamo]

Well, I'm glad that I was educated in Canada and not in Korea or Japan. I heard that suicide is not uncommon for youngsters in those two Asian countries (due to "exam hell" or failure). Education seems like a major thing for those two Asian groups. If you fail, not only do you fail in advancing to get the career you want, but you fail socially and let your family down.

Actually, my impression is quite the opposite. I feel that most Japanese do not care very much about their education. They study because they have to or just in order to get a good job. That is very sad, as in Europe at least, education is seen as a way of fulfilling oneself. Teenagers entering university in Europe are usually told (by teachers, parents, friends..) to choose a subject they like, even without clear prospect of employment, rather than studying to get a well-paid job we might not like. I guess that is one of the biggest cultural rift between Europe and Japan.

In Japan, some students commit suicide not because they feel more stupid than the rest, but because they are afraid about their future employment. Money is a major daily concern in Japan (not honor, that was a long time ago !). I guess that most Japanese would agree that if one could buy their university degree when they were children, they just wouldn't bother going to school and uni, except for socialing and learning to interact with people. It already kind of happens with the expensive private schools which one enters from kindergarten and lead you directly to university ("elevator system", as they call it). This is just paying for one's degree, as the failure rate is almost inexistant. In contrast, education is free in Europe because everybody should have equal opportunities to learn regargless of their social background.

Anyway, Japanese school teaches more about how to live in harmony with the rest of the group and social manners than how to reason logically, analyze ideas or be creative.

In short, European education is idealistic and care about personal development and how to think well. Japanese education is practical (job-oriented), and care about social developement and how to interact harmoniously with people in society.

In my feeling, the US education is also job-oriented, but concentrates on personal development than social harmony. So it's somewhere in between.

[kara]

That is very sad, as in Europe at least, education is seen as a way of fulfilling oneself. Teenagers entering university in Europe are usually told (by teachers, parents, friends..) to choose a subject they like, even without clear prospect of employment, rather than studying to get a well-paid job we might not like. I guess that is one of the biggest cultural rift between Europe and Japan..

In Japan today, daigakuinsei (graduate students?) are like European univ. students what you described.

And I don't think 100% of European univ. students choose a subject they like, even without clear prospect of employment. Do you know Florent Dabadie? In his book he wrote:"I wanted to major in Korean, but my father strongly opposed it because of the future employment, so I majored in Japanese at パリ東洋学院日本語学科".

Their must be a difference in greater or lesser degrees, but I hesitate to call it "one of the biggest cultural rift".

In Japan, some students commit suicide not because they feel more stupid than the rest, but because they are afraid about their future employment. Money is a major daily concern in Japan (not honor, that was a long time ago !).

In these days many middle aged male commit suicide for money, but students? Teenagers easily can find a job for survive. What they hardly find are honorable, meaningful jobs for themselves. In such cases, should we say he died for money?

I guess that most Japanese would agree that if one could buy their university degree when they were children, they just wouldn't bother going to school and uni, except for socialing and learning to interact with people. It already kind of happens with the expensive private schools which one enters from kindergarten and lead you directly to university ("elevator system", as they call it). This is just paying for one's degree, as the failure rate is almost inexistant. In contrast, education is free in Europe because everybody should have equal opportunities to learn regargless of their social background.

I half agree with you. "socialing and learning to interact with people" but only with promising kids in famous private or national schools (not with ordinary kids in public schools) is the main reason for "ojuken" parents. Not the university degree itself. You know universities like Meiji, Hosei, Rikkyo, Gakusyuin, Aoyama-gakuin, Musashi, Seikei... etc are ranked not so high and their university degrees mean almost nothing comparing to Todai, Kyoto, Keio, Waseda, Hitotsubashi...etc. To be an elementary or (junior) high school student of them is by far important for parents than to get a university degree from their univ. category.

They believe their kids will grow up to be a intelligent person among intelligent friends, or to be a successful adult with the help of successful friends. So, they want their kids to keep getting touch with his/her friends in school. "they just wouldn't bother going to school and uni" is perfectly off the mark imo.

Anyway, Japanese school teaches more about how to live in harmony with the rest of the group and social manners than how to reason logically, analyze ideas or be creative.

In short, European education is idealistic and care about personal development and how to think well. Japanese education is practical (job-oriented), and care about social developement and how to interact harmoniously with people in society.

I feel Japanese education is not so good both about personal development and about practical training. There is much room for improvement.