Das japanische Bildungsministerium beabsichtigt ab April 2017 ein Programm zum Bildungsexport in Entwicklungsländer zu starten. Laut Ministerium sind viele Länder daran interessiert, vom japanischen Bildungssystem zu lernen, das vor allem durch Leistungen in den Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik beeindruckt.
Japan education ministry to export methods to developing world
Japan's education ministry will launch a program in the fiscal year starting
April 2017, seeking to promote the country's approach to education in
developing countries.
Many countries are interested in learning from the
Japanese education system, impressed by its academic results, particularly in
science and mathematics, and by its emphasis on classroom discipline, according
to the ministry.
Japan's vocational education, which
prepares graduates to work in industry, is also drawing strong attention from
abroad. Ministry officials say the government wants to increase Japan's
international contribution to education by showing other countries how it does
things.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology will set up an organization next spring in cooperation with the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; and
the private sector to oversee the program. The education ministry has asked for
150 million yen (1.23 Million Dollar) for the project in its budget request for
fiscal 2016 through next March.
We'll school you
The project envisions promoting exports of educational programs, rather than
facilities. Japanese practices -- having students clean their classrooms, eat
school lunches together, hold sports festivals, engage in club activities and
participate in disaster drills -- are rare abroad. Many developing countries
have expressed admiration for the approach, believing it fosters cooperation
among students. Japan's elementary and middle schools, with their high academic
standards in science and math, are also of interest.
Japan has unique
programs such as five-year engineering high schools that have turned out
technicians credited with supporting the country's economic growth. It also has
schools specializing in civil engineering, auto mechanics and other skilled
trades.
"Countries that have yet to establish their education systems
are paying attention to the Japanese school system," said one official of
education ministry.
The new organization will study ways to promote
Japanese universities and vocational schools overseas, and to foster the growth
of the education industry including textbook publishers and manufacturers of
laboratory equipment.
"We would like to demonstrate Japan's presence in the
field of education, starting with two or three countries for the present," the
official said.
Field of dreams
Japanese-style athletic meets - called undokai in Japan - are appearing in
Asian and African schools. The Japan Overseas Cooperative Association, a
nonprofit organization that supports developing nations, held an undokai at a
school in Malawi, in southern Africa, in late February. Events included a tug of
war and skipping rope.
According to Yuko Ohara, a former JOCA member who
arranged the event, the children did not know how to line up properly and run
when the whistle blew at first. But they got the hang of it. "They have
apparently learned to get things done through cooperation, after one month of
practice," Ohara said.
The education ministry held undokai events in
countries such as Thailand and Laos in fiscal 2014 and is planning more,
officials said.