Dazaifu, Day 5 - How to pick a good (high) school

The rest of this week will be spent on visits to other schools and some extra-curricular activities, since junior high students will be taking their final exams this week. (They don’t need distractions like American teachers taking pictures.)

Before I describe today’s activities, I need to explain something about Japanese education. Compulsory (and free) public education is available for students ages 6 – 14 (basically 1^st – through 9^th grade in American schools), and ends with the final year of junior high school. All Japanese students have advanced education available, but they must pass entrance examinations and pay tuition, even at ‘public’ high schools.

In general, public high schools tend to draw from a geographic region (much as American schools do) and cost the least in tuition; as a result they are crowded, and because of the testing requirement, there is no guarantee that you may be able to enter the local high school. Private high schools cost much more, but generally have more slots available. Many high schools (both public and private) have specialties – fine arts, mathematics and science – and students who have those kinds of interests may elect to try for one of those schools to further their ambitions.

Japanese parents know that the best company jobs are reserved for those who complete both high school and 4 years of university, so they encourage (as most parents do) their children to study hard, and they work to find the best possible high school, one that has a high rate of college-bound graduates.

Today’s activities are an example of that kind of parental dedication. This is a school tour trip for mothers of 3^rd-year junior high school students, organized by the PTA. Three busloads of mothers (about 130 moms!) gather just before 9 AM and get seats on the tour buses, along with the principal and myself. The fee (for the buses) is quite reasonable – about $8 – and lunch will be provided.

The journey takes us from Dazaifu to Fukuoka City (about a half hour by bus), where we will visit two different private schools. Our first stop is an all-boys school, and the air is decidedly masculine and no-nonsense; I am reminded of private military-style academies in the U.S. (and the gym teacher running a group of students around the school yard certainly lends credence to that image – he had a great drill-sergeant voice). This is a very large high school – about 2000 students – and their graduation rate for students moving on to the best universities is quite good.

Even with the strict discipline atmosphere, though, there are unmistakable signs of teen-age boy here. The summer uniform is trousers, worn with a belt, and short sleeved shirt, tucked in, but I saw several students with shirts askew and more than a few with ‘low-riders,’ even with a belt. It makes me feel better to know that teenagers are still much the same in any country.

Then we travel to an all-girls school. This one is not only private, but parochial – it is run by Buddhist priests associated with a major shrine next door, and the curriculum reflects both traditional and religious training, much as Catholic or Lutheran high schools do. In Japan, as in the U.S., there have been a lot of studies done to determine whether single-gender or mixed-gender schools are better for girls interested in math and science training, and these studies (in both countries) seem to imply that single-gender environments may be more encouraging for girls. Working forward from this idea, the school has two basic education tracks – one that is general education, and another that loads up on math and science courses – and the results (as far as university acceptance) would appear to validate the single-gender theory.

At both of these schools, there are definite marketing ploys seen – slick, full-color brochures, cooling drinks for everyone (and Japanese bento lunches at the second school), careful discussion of the graduation and university acceptance rates, and an atmosphere of happy students in a clean and cheerful environment designed for study.

By contrast, the 3^rd school – a public high school not far from Gakugyoin – is almost utilitarian in looks: older buildings (still very clean), a fact sheet printed on plain paper (there are color brochures available, but we are asked not to take them unless we need them), no extras. Because the public high schools do not charge as much for tuition, they do not have the spare money to spend on fancy buildings and ‘fluff’ as some of the private schools do.

But…the presentation shows many cheerful students and a wide variety of classes and activities available for all. The graduation and acceptance rates are certainly equal to either of the private schools. And as we walk down the halls, nearly all of the students were working very hard in their classes; even those who recognized parents in the crowd (or saw my American face) did not, for the most part, respond out of hand. This is a very self-disciplined group – I could wish for a lot more just like them in my daughter’s high school.

We head back to Gakugyoin around 4:45 PM. It’s been a long day, but a very informative one; I think I have a better understanding of how Japanese parents view education and its importance, and I have enjoyed seeing several different schools today.