PART Recent Trends and Developments in Government Policies in Education, Science and Culture
Chapter 3 Improvement and Enrichment of Elementary and Secondary Education
5 Reforms in Upper Secondary School Education
A number of reform strategies were proposed in the report of
the 14th Session of the Central Council for Education (April 1991) including
making upper secondary education more diverse and responsive to the needs of
the individual as well as cooling off the overheated entrance exam competition.
The Ministry, acting on this report, issued a circular in June of 1991 to all
the prefectural boards of education regarding the Council's report. In other
measures, the Ministry has set up a "Consultative Committee for the Promotion
of the Reform of Upper Secondary School Education," and created two special committees,
(one for school education and one for entrance examinations) in order to investigate
practical measures for improving course systems and entrance examinations for
upper secondary schools and other relevant issues. In June 1992 their first report
was issued dealing with the comprehensive course and full time "credit upper
secondary schools." In August 1992, a second report was issued detailing the
results of investigations on entrance exam reform in upper secondary schools.
Regarding measures for accepting transfer students (who are
accompanying their parents/guardians to a new work place) into upper secondary
schools, the Ministry has requested prefectural boards of education to expand
the opportunities to accept transfer students by making the entrance examination
system more flexible, simplifying procedures, and establishing a special framework
for accepting set numbers of transferees annually, etc. The Ministry is also
promoting policy for further construction of a computerized information system
as well as other measures to facilitate upper secondary school transfers.