Secondary Education in Japan
Secondary education is divided into a lower and upper secondary cycle. Of the two, only the lower secondary school is compulsory. A number of private schools in Japan offer six years of continuous education, covering the lower and higher secondary cycles.
The lower secondary school (Chugakko) is from grades 7-10 for children 12 to 15 years of age. This is a very important phase in the educational process for Japanese students since the results of lower secondary school can determine whether or not the student could gain access to a good upper secondary school and subsequently to a good university.
Majority of lower secondary schools are public and tuition free. Only six percent are private and these schools require students to pass an entrance examination. Many second year and third year students of the lower secondary schools attend cram schools (Juku) to prepare for the competitive upper secondary school examinations. Students completing the lower secondary cycle are awarded a graduation certificate (Chugakko Sotsugyo Shomeisho) and are then eligible to take entrance examinations for upper secondary school.
The curriculum aside from subjects like japanese, social studies, mathematics, science, music, health and physical education, industrial and homemaking, moral education and extracurricular activities, lower secondary schools also offer elective subjects and foreign languages.
Upper secondary education is divided into academic and vocational/technical streams. In 2003, a majority of students were enrolled in general academic courses and only 24 % were enrolled in specialized (vocational) courses and 3 % in integrated courses. 70% of the students were enrolled at public and 30% at private schools. Private schools are generally considered to be an advantage in preparing students for university entrance examination, hence the higher proportion of students attending private schools at this stage. Public schools for upper secondary education are not tuition free but are considerably cheaper than in the private sector.
As at the lower secondary level, a majority of students enroll in cram schools to prepare for the University entrance examinations. Many students who fail the university entrance examination on their first try spend a full year at full-time cram schools (yobiko) to improve their chances. After the completion of the upper secondary stream a certificate of graduation (Kotogakko Sotsugyo Shomeisho) is given and students are then eligible to take the university entrance examination known as the Examination of the National Center for University Entrance.
Students who enter the vocational stream are required to choose an area of specialization. Subjects studied are fairly specialized, and the training provided is job specific. A Certificate of Secondary Education is given to students who complete this stream. This is the same qualification earned by students in the academic stream, and they are eligible to take the national university entrance examination.
