Question: Conservative education leads directly to conservative politics. Discuss in relation to contemporary Japan
There is no doubt that the quality of education offered in any country largely determines the level of progress .Japan has been hailed to have one of the best education system in the world, perhaps this is what an every outsider will comment but a closer look at what the system offers will reflect the kind of problems that bedevil the education system in this country. The notion of success has emanated from the fact that Japan has been able to educate very competent workforce which contributed greatly to its successful economic recovery in post war Japan. The education system has attracted great attention for the last thirty years; this has been as a result of the outsiders perceptions that it has been the drive as far as economic advancement in this country is concerned. However many still feel that the education system is stunted due to its inability to change with time. This is what has been described as conservative education, the kind of system which has been in place in Japan. (Beauchamp, E 1991 23)
The education system ability to determine the development agenda of the country also applies to other aspects of the society. Though politics will largely determine the type of education offered in a certain country in the long run this aspect of the society will be determined by the education system in place at a particular system. Education plays a very big role as afar as child development is concerned. What a child learns in school becomes the gospel truth and he or she grows up knowing that certain things can only work in a given way. Therefore the kind of education offered to the children will determine their thoughts in their current and future lives. (Schoppa, L 1993 p239)
Back in the 1960s, Japan economy was growing rapidly, the people were involved in mass production of goods and on the other hand there was a great increase in mass consumerism. On this background the education system was perfect, it worked well. Children were comfortable with the system as they thought that they could study in school and then later in their lives enter into the society get employed and be in a position to buy a lot of things and become rich. This notion became a big problem in the 1970s when the sense of individuality started to crop up. People began to think more on how they can individually lead a happy life, there was a general belief that perhaps there were other ways into which happiness can be found rather than schooling or going through the system. This is the period when the school and the society began to contradict each other. If the ultimate thing is to get money and be in a position to buy many things; was going through an education system that only way one could achieve this? This is a question that featured a lot in this period. The education system was not geared towards solving this emerging issue. This is a problem that was supposed to be tackled through making some changes in the education system through accommodation of some of the concerns that were being raised. (Beauchamp, E 1991 53)
Japanese society is moulded in such a way that people do not live independently. Almost everybody lives in a group oriented manner and the see themselves in terms of the group. Whatever is done is geared towards the success of this group. This is a society where conformity is the order of the day, those who carry out their affairs contrary to the group expectations will be seen as outcasts and may not be regarded highly. Children learn from their parents, in most cases they will follow what their parents do, they will aspire to be like them as they are the role models in the society. In 1970s the changes that were taking place in this society brought new dimensions also. As individuality was cropping up so was the kind of thinking also changing especially to the children and the education system that was being offered. There were mass drop out from the education system due to its failure to address the real issues that were pressing the society. There were other problems that were afflicting the school system. Bullying was a common thing in the school. Other forms of truancy were reported. This has been attributed to the pressure applied on the students by the system that relied much on the ability of the students to pass exams. This success was measured by the way a student performed in the exams which were geared towards memorizing answers. (Hood, C 2001 p154)
Children being observant had noted that education did not in most of the cases bring happiness to adult life, to them adults were always busy but this busy life never made them happy. This made the children to want to curve their own channel, they asked themselves why they should follow the adults’ way of life yet they were not happy in life. The education system was much more geared towards making an individual prepared to work and build the nation. This system did not address the concerns where other channels were available for one to become happy and successful. This failure to address such a pertinent issue led to a societal problem which could have been solved by making some minimal changes in the system to accommodate the dissenting views. (Tsuchimuchi, G 1993 p46)
It was common knowledge that the system had failed to produce students who were creative. The general was feeling was that a system should be put in place to check the problems which were affecting the education system in the country. This was a period when the school were facing drop outs, bullying among the students, and violence which were as a result of a bad system which left the students desperate. (Yuri, I 2003 56)
As Japan was being transformed from a n industrial to a post industrial society, its human resource was not well prepared to meet the new challenges that were emerging in the new global economy. This was a direct effect of the education system that was in place. The system was only geared to producing a mechanical graduate, who had been overworked in all levels. Japan was not in a position to compete at the same level with the western society due to lack of creativity among the workforce which was as a product of the poor system. Japan could produce as much computer hardware as possible but for the supply of the software it had to rely on the west which had a more flexible education system compared to the conservative type in Japan. (Beauchamp, E 1991 63)
It seems that all were comfortable with system or were too afraid to bring on board the changes that would see a better approach being employed. For the teachers perhaps they were very comfortable with the way things were done, the system did not require too much input on their part, it was easy to conduct classes and lessons since they had to go through a text book recommended by the local authorities page by page. This does not require much preparation; therefore the teachers might have been comfortable with the way things were done. On the other hand they were no incentives for this lot making them resistant to changes that would see them added workload while their salaries were not improved. At this time the teachers union was weak and could not have had a strong impact when it comes to the representation of the teachers interests. (Mc Clain 2002 87)
The bureaucrats, and the parents were all in the favour of educational reforms but it was obvious that they were all afraid to take the necessary steps perhaps for the fear of unknown. Parents on their part were worried of their children chances which they thought might be affected by the new system. Employers on the other hand wanted workforce which was creative but they were not sure of what they would get, they did not want to loose a virtue impacted by the education system and that is conformity something that was highly valued in the society. Politicians and policy makers supported the system as they were seeking for the elective posts but on the other side they approve the system which had made Japan to be what it is, they kind of education system that had worked miracle s for this nation. For the civil servants and the bureaucrats their hands are tied as they are just mere servants who may be empowered to come up with the policies but when it comes to implementation someone else is charged with that role. (Hoshii, I 1993 p87)
There was a shared view that there was a serious need to reform the education system in Japan. There was a great concern that the system which was geared towards memorization and drilling for the sake of exams was failing to produce students who were creative something which could jeopardize the future competitive nature of the country in the global map. The Prime Minister in 1984 appointed an Ad Hoc Reform committee to look into ways that the education could be reformed to be in line with the changing trends in the society and the world too. While appointing the committee the Prime Minister set it out to come up with the strategies for the reforms which will make the students to acquire education which will make them compatible with the cultural and social changes that were taking place in the country. The prime minister was determined to see the necessary changes made into this system. He wanted a system which will make the society more vibrant and creative as well as one which is relevant to the modern times. (Okano, K and Tsuchiya, M 1999 145)
The conservatives in 2000 initiated some changes in the education system through changing of the law and the introduction of new methods of teaching especially for the history. There were also proposal to introduce voluntary activities for the students and at the same time incorporate moral education in the system. The aim of these reforms was to return the Japanese society to the traditional ethnic ideologies which were largely associated with the system of education that helped in transforming the Japan from an agrarian to an industrial society. The political climate may have changed with having the conservatives on the power but the education system mush remained the same giving an indication that it was to continue breeding the same kind of politicians in the future. Therefore the conservative education that the Japanese society was being subjected to could only give rise to conservative politicians who will not be keen to implement any necessary changes and the cycle will continue. If Japan fails to have some radical changes as afar as its education system is concerned the problems or the challenges facing it will continue to be in place for along time to come since the people and the government may not be willing to bring the changes on board due to the nature of conformity embraced by the society (Kuyama, Y 1971 234)
Just like in other levels of learning, higher education is facing some problems which could be even worse than those of the lower levels. There is a common believe within the student fraternity that higher education is basically a reward of many years of learning in high and primary schools. Students take this period as a time to rest and recuperate preparing for the work ahead of them as they enter the employment phase. It is common to find students missing classes or sleeping during lectures. Examinations are not taken seriously and it common to have everyone graduating despite the performs, this explains the reason why the students take this period as a bridge between the years of hard work and the entry to a level where they will start contributing towards nation building. They do not take university as serious as it should, but the system has allowed them to behave in this manner. Therefore unless an overhaul of the education policies this tend will continue in the years to come where institution of higher learning will continue to lose competitiveness especially on the global platform. This does not auger well for this nation which would like to continue being in the forefront when it comes to economic and technological development fields. (Okano, K and Tsuchiya, M 1999 165)
Japan has university system which can be described as classified; many students usually fight to join some university and not others. This is due to the complex perception that exist among them that there are better institutions than others. Most of the students wish to join prestigious public institutions, those who fail to join these universities are usually bitter for their failure to be among the class that is considered as prestigious. This again brings us back to the issue of conformity, every one including the university students want to fit in the group ,they usually feel very discouraged when the do not meet the group standards. When a student fails to secure a place in the so called prestigious institution they consider themselves as failures something which can have a very negative impact in their education and also in their future life. Scholars have argued that this negative attitude has prevailed due to a deliberate cause by the elite policy makers. They have failed to reform the system to bring it in line with the contemporary Japanese society. They would like the systems which seem to favour a certain group in the society to continue while others continue to suffer due to their inability to bring the required changes in the education system. (Aspinail, R 2001 p234)
One of the major practice that attract a lot of criticism is the basing the education system on merit yet it is known that students are grilled to pass the exams. A student ability to cram and memorize everything will determine his or her performance in school. Therefore it follows that those students who will be admitted in the best elementary schools are those who will have the best ability to memorize rather than understanding concepts. This system follows from the junior schools up to the university and colleges. Public schools are preferred to the private schools, due to the fact that they offer “better education” than their counterparts in private sectors. They are affordable compared to the private schools. It follows that the prestigious universities receive students from the few feeder schools majority of which come within the locality of the university. There are some cases where parents move houses so that they can be within the area where these institutions draw their students. This practice only goes further in ensuring that only the best attend these institutions further eroding the quality of graduates entering into the job market in a given time. (Mc Cargo, D 2000 98)
Admitting students only from a particular region can have a negative effect as far as the quality and affordability of the education is concerned. This can end up favouring a certain group or class of people. For example the prestigious Tokyo University get most of its students from a given number of schools, so if a parent would like his or her child to end up in this university as it often happen he or she will ensure that the child attends one of the fewer schools where the university admits from. What does this do the quality and access to the education for the majority of the students? Access to the so called prestigious institutions remains a preserve of a certain class of people especially the middle class whose parents can be in a position to earn high salaries. (Pempel, T 1975 98).
Looking at the education system from a political angle one will notice that it has a very disturbing implication in the society. When the system leans too much on class there is a danger of leaving out some members of the society. This segment within the community will always be segregated as a result of their inability to raise a certain amount of money. The education system serves this purpose; it is there to ensure that the interests of the elites are well taken care of. These elites are the same conservatives who would like the system to remain as it is so that they can continue benefiting from this skewed system. Any attempt to reform the system has been met with a lot of opposition from the same group of people. The elite would like the system to continue producing docile workforce so that their business interests can prosper and at the same time they continue dominating in the political arena. They will dominate the politics for a long time since they have ensured that democratic and individual liberties or rights are not well emphasized in the course of learning. It is mainly geared towards giving legitimacy to the establishment while at the same time disempowering the citizens. Therefore the conservative education will always give rise to the conservative politicians, who will not be willing to disturb the status quo lest they be swept out of power and find that the privileges they have enjoying have been transferred to others. (Schoppa, L 1993 p 84)
Despite the success that had been registered in the system the problems which can be termed as obvious remained.Rigidity, lack of choices, excessive uniformity and the unwanted influences of the higher education were mentioned as some of the problem facing this important sector. In this period it was reported that the education model was the cause of the problem that were afflicting the society. The social problems registered were largely behavioural due to the student inability to cope with the stresses brought about by the expectations vested upon them by the system. The same problem that was being highlighted in those years still feature in today’s debate on the education. There has been great concern to make the system more responsive to the general needs of the people as well as the new trends that are merging in today’s world
The education system may have been reformed from time to time since 1868 and more so after 1945 but a lot remains to be done to address the real issue which have been raised in from time to time. The kind of education that is provided today and in the recent past only serves the interest of a few who would like to continue benefiting at the expense of the majority Japanese citizens. They want to utilize the inability of the people to question their actions to continue oppressing them through denying them a chance to explore what lies ahead. Censorship of the text books to cushion the society from the real channel our country has taken should not be allowed to continue. Selection of the text books should be done by professional who are well aware of the repercussions of denying people a chance to know the truth. It is only through such efforts that those in authorities will be propelled to move with the times. These and many other reforms will ensure that the education system will address the real issues facing this country while at the same time empowering the citizens.
Bibliography
Aspinail, R (2001) Teachers’ Union and the Politics of Education in Japan, New York, Suny Press
Beauchamp, E (1991) Windows of Japanese Education, Westport Green world Press (p51-71)
Hood, C (2001) Japanese Education Reforms, London, Routledge, (p154)
Hoshii, I (1993) Japan’s Pseudo- Democracy, New York, Routledge
Kuyama, Y (1971) Education in Contemporary Japan, International Institute of Japan Studies, Tokyo
Mc Cargo, D (2000) Contemporary Japan, Prince town University Press, Prince town NJ(151-159)
Mc Clain (2002) Japan a Modern History, WW Norton and Co, New York
Okano, K and Tsuchiya, M (1999) Education in Contemporary Japan, Cambrigde England, Cambridge University Press
Pempel, T (1975). The politics of Higher Education in post war Japan, Suny Press, New York
Schoppa, L (1993) Education Reforms in Japan Routledge, London
Tsuchimuchi, G (1993) Education Reform in Post War Japan, University of Tokyo, Tokyo
Yuri, I (2003) Development of Education in Japan, London, Routledge