The Japanese education system: advantages and hidden concern

Recently, The Economist published an article on December 19th, exploring the reasons behind Japan's orderly society, with a particular focus on the profound impact of Japanese primary education on children's growth.

Japanese children exhibit strong independence from a young age, and it is not uncommon for 6-year-old children to walk or take the subway alone to school. Despite parents' safety concerns, the social environment provides sufficient support for their children. In contrast, the excessive concern of Western parents about their children's safety forms a sharp contrast.

The Japanese education system has significant advantages, emphasizing the cultivation of students' self-discipline and care for others. The educational philosophy emphasizes the comprehensive development of "intelligence, morality, and physical fitness". Schools offer a large number of physical education and art courses, and focus on encouraging children's efforts rather than just academic performance. Starting from kindergarten, children learn to take care of themselves through play. After entering primary school, through activities such as class meetings and lunch shifts, children learn how to integrate into the collective, and collectivism runs through education.

This educational model has not only achieved significant results domestically, but also received international attention. In the 1970s and 1980s, its educational philosophy was used to improve students' exam scores. Nowadays, the way Japanese schools cultivate children's character has attracted countries such as Malaysia to come and learn from it.

However, the Japanese education system is not perfect either. In middle and high school, the rote learning method suppresses students' creativity and personality development. Some strict "unwritten rules" in schools, such as uniform sock length and headband color, force students to blindly follow the crowd, making children who are different from others vulnerable to bullying. According to UNICEF data, although Japanese children have good physical health, their mental health ranks low.

With the changes in society, Japanese society is becoming increasingly diverse, individualism is gradually emerging, and the traditional education system is facing new challenges. How to adapt to these changes has become an urgent problem for the Japanese education sector to solve.