EDUCATION IN JAPAN
In Japan, education is compulsory at the elementary and lowers secondary
levels. Most students attend public schools through the lower secondary level,
but private education is popular at the upper
secondary and university levels. Japan's education system played a central part
in Japan's recovery and rapid economic growth in the
decades following the end of World War II.
Education prior
to elementary school is provided at kindergartens
and day-care
centers. Public and private day-care centers take children from under age one
on up to five years old. The programs for those children aged 3–5 resemble
those at kindergartens. The educational approach at kindergartens varies
greatly from unstructured environments that emphasize play to highly structured
environments that are focused on having the child pass the entrance exam at a
private elementary school.
Junior high school
Lower secondary
school covers grades seven, eight, and nine, children between the ages of
roughly 12 and 15, with increased focus on academic studies. Although it is
still possible to leave the formal education system after completing junior
high school and find employment, fewer than 4% did so by the late 1980s.
Like elementary
schools, most junior high schools in the 1980s were public, but 5% were
private. Private schools were costly, averaging 558,592 yen (US$3,989) per
student in 1988, about four times more than the 130,828 yen (US$934) that the
ministry estimated as the cost for students enrolled in public junior high
school. Teachers often majored in the subjects they taught, and more than 80%
graduated from a four-year college. Classes are large, with thirty-eight
students per class on average, and each class is assigned a homeroom teacher
who doubles as counselor. Unlike elementary students, junior high school
students have different teachers for different subjects. The teacher, however,
rather than the students, moves to a new room for each fifty or forty-five
minute period.
Instruction in
junior high schools tends to rely on the lecture method. Teachers also use
other media, such as television and radio, and there is some laboratory work.
By 1989 about 45% of all public junior high schools had computers, including
schools that used them only for administrative purposes. Classroom organization
is still based on small work groups of four to six students, although no longer
for reasons of discipline.
All course
contents are specified in the Course of Study for Lower-Secondary Schools. Some
subjects, such as Japanese language and mathematics, are coordinated with the
elementary curriculum. Others, such as foreign-language study, begin at this
level, though from April 2011 English will become a compulsory part of the
elementary school curriculum. The junior school curriculum covers Japanese
language, social studies, mathematics, science, music, fine arts, health, and
physical education. All students are also exposed to industrial arts and
homemaking. Moral education and special activities continue to receive
attention. Most students also participate in one of a range of school clubs
that occupy them until around 6pm most weekdays (including weekends and often
before school as well), as part of an effort to address juvenile delinquency.
High school
Even though upper-secondary school is not compulsory in
Japan, 94% of all junior high school graduates entered high schools as of 2005.
Private upper-secondary schools account for about 55% of all upper-secondary
schools, and neither public nor private schools are free. The Ministry
of Education estimated that annual family expenses for the education of a
child in a public upper-secondary school were about 300,000 yen (US$2,142) in the
1980s and that private upper-secondary schools were about twice as expensive.
The most common
type of upper-secondary school has a full-time, general program that offered
academic courses for students preparing for higher education as well as
technical and vocational courses for students expecting to find employment
after graduation. More than 70% of upper-secondary school students were
enrolled in the general academic program in the late 1980s. A small number of
schools offer part-time programs, evening courses, or correspondence education.
The first-year
programs for students in both academic and commercial courses are similar. They
include basic academic courses, such as Japanese
language, English, mathematics,
and science.
In upper-secondary school, differences in ability are first publicly
acknowledged, and course content and course selection are far more
individualized in the second year. However, there is a core of academic
material throughout all programs..
Most
upper-secondary teachers are university graduates. Upper-secondary schools are
organized into departments, and teachers specialize in their major fields
although they teach a variety of courses within their disciplines. Teaching
depends largely on the lecture system, with the main goal of covering the very
demanding curriculum in the time allotted. Approach and subject coverage tends
to be uniform, at least in the public schools.
Universities and colleges
As of 2005,
more than 2.8 million students were enrolled in 726 universities. At the top of
the higher education structure, these institutions provide four-year training
leading to a bachelor's degree, and some offer six-year
programs leading to a professional degree. There are two types of public
four-year colleges: the ninety-six national universities (including the Open University of Japan) and the
thirty-nine local public universities, founded by prefectures
and municipalities.
The 372 remaining four-year colleges in 1991 were private.
The
overwhelming majority of college students attend full-time day programs. In
1990 the most popular courses, enrolling almost 40 percent of all undergraduate
students, were in the social sciences, including business, law, and accounting.
Other popular subjects were engineering (19 percent), the humanities
(15 percent), and education (7 percent).
The average
costs (tuition, fees, and living expenses) for a year of higher education in
1986 were 1.4 million yen (US$10,000). To help defray expenses, students
frequently work part-time or borrow money through the government-supported Japan Scholarship
Association. Assistance is also offered by local governments, nonprofit
corporations, and other institutions.
EDUCATION IN INDONESIA
Education in
indonesia is the responsibility of the Ministry
of National Education of Indonesia (Departemen pendidikan Nasional Republik
Indonesia/depdiknas). In Indonesia,all citizen must undertake nine years of compulsory education, six years
at elementary level and three in middle school.
A.
PRIMARY
SCHOOL
Childern ages 6-11 attend Sekolah Dasar (SD) (Literally Elementary
School). This level of education is compulosory for all Indonesian citizens,
based the national constitution. In contrast to the majority of privately run
kindergardens, most elementary school are goverment operated public schools,
accounting for 93% of all elementary school in indonesia.
The Stages:
ü Elementary
school
ü Madrasah
Ibtidaiyah
B.
SECONDARY
SCHOOL
Middle school,
generally known by the abbreviation “SMP” (Sekolah Menengeh Pertama) is part of
primary education indonensia. After graduating from elementery school, student
attend middle school for three years from the age of 12-14. After three years
of shooling and graduation, students may move on to High School or College, or
cease formal education.
The Stages:
ü Junior
high school
ü Madrasah
Tsanawiyah
C.
HIGH
SCHOOL
In Indonesia, generally known as by the abbreviation
“SMA” (Sekolah Menenngah Atas) and SMK (Sekolah Menengeh Kejuruaan). SMA/SMU
differ than SMK in their studies. The students at SMA are prepared to be ready
to advance to tertiary education while students of SMK are prepared to be ready
to ready to work after finishing their school without going to univerity /
college based on the national constition, Indonesia citizens do not have to
attend high school as the citizens only require nine years of education.
The Stages:
ü General
v Senior
High school
v Madrasah
Aliyah
ü Occasional ( kejuruan )
v Sekolah
menengah kejuruan
v Madrasah
Aliyah Kejuruan
D.
COLLEGE
EDUCATION
After graduation from high school or college,
students may attend a university (higher
education0. The higher education institution is categorized in two types:
public and private which supervised by Departement of National education. There
are 3 types of higher education institution: Universities, Institutes, and
Academy or college.
