ABSTRACT
After the six years’ course at a Primary School, a Japanese boy may pass on to a Middle School, which corresponds in England to the secondary or public school. Before he can enter, however, he has to pass a highly competitive examination, since there exist vacancies in such schools for only about 10 per cent. of the qualified applicants for admission. At the Middle School the Japanese student begins his study of English, which from that time onwards becomes the most important subject in his curriculum. He spends five years in this grade, although, if he is to continue his studies, he may pass on to some higher institution after four years’ study. If he intends ultimately to go to a university to study law, literature
or science, he will enter, after another competitive examination, a High School, where for three years he will prepare himself for the entrance examination for the particular faculty he wishes to enter. Then, at the age of twenty-two or twenty-three, he will go up to one of the Government universities, of which the most important is the Imperial University at Tokyo, where his course will be three or four years, according to his faculty. Thus a student cannot possibly graduate at a university until he is twenty-five or twenty-six, and it must be seen that there is a whole grade of schools (Koto Gakko, or High Schools) which has no counterpart in England. The cause of the long duration of the school career is to be found partly in the fact that a Japanese has to absorb practically two systems of culture, and partly in the extreme difficulty of the written language, which makes it necessary for students to memorize several thousands of ideographs. The institutions which have been described qualify students for careers in law, literature, science or, most important of all, the Civil Service; and those who prefer careers in commerce or industry will choose other schools. After leaving the Middle School, for instance, they may pass into a Higher Commercial School (Koto Shogyo Gakko), whence they will pass after three years’ instruction into the business world; or they may enter a Higher Technical School for a three years’ training in engineering, applied science or architecture. There are some modifications of the above scheme There are some Middle Schools, for instance, which have a bias towards commercial education; there are Normal Schools of various grades for training teachers for Primary and Middle Schools; and there are, of course, numerous special schools, both official and private. Secondary schools are also provided for girls; but these, unlike the boys’ High Schools, which are solely preparatory schools for the universities, are finishing schools. In addition to Government institutions, there are also several schools controlled by foreign missionaries, and a number of private schools and colleges established by Japanese. Among these are two important private universities, Waseda and Keiyo; but neither of these has the same prestige as the Government foundations, and frequently students who fail in their first attempt to enter a High School will go to a private university until they succeed in passing the extrance examination for the Government institution.
