wilebill
01-01-2008, 11:02 PM
Losing an Edge, Japanese Envy India’s Schools (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/02/business/worldbusiness/02japan.html?ex=1356930000&en=5e48026240f45ddf&ei=5089&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss)
Most annoying for many Japanese is that the aspects of Indian education they now praise are similar to those that once made Japan famous for its work ethic and discipline: learning more at an earlier age, an emphasis on memorization and cramming, and a focus on the basics, particularly in math and science.
India’s more demanding education standards are apparent at the Little Angels Kindergarten, and are its main selling point. Its 2-year-old pupils are taught to count to 20, 3-year-olds are introduced to computers, and 5-year-olds learn to multiply, solve math word problems and write one-page essays in English, tasks most Japanese schools do not teach until at least second grade.
Indeed, Japan’s anxieties about its declining competitiveness echo the angst of another nation two decades ago, when Japan was the economic upstart.
“Japan’s interest in learning from Indian education is a lot like America’s interest in learning from Japanese education,” said Kaoru Okamoto, a professor specializing in education policy at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo.
Is it time for America to adopt strict education standards for our children like those of Japan and/or India? How many parents would even allow their kids to be taught like this without screaming that their individuality is being threatened?
I really think that we as a country have got to decide that education is important for the well being of the country as a whole, not so much strictly for the well-being of the individual. Both of those ideals can co-exist, but people have got to stop being so near-sighted about education.
Most annoying for many Japanese is that the aspects of Indian education they now praise are similar to those that once made Japan famous for its work ethic and discipline: learning more at an earlier age, an emphasis on memorization and cramming, and a focus on the basics, particularly in math and science.
India’s more demanding education standards are apparent at the Little Angels Kindergarten, and are its main selling point. Its 2-year-old pupils are taught to count to 20, 3-year-olds are introduced to computers, and 5-year-olds learn to multiply, solve math word problems and write one-page essays in English, tasks most Japanese schools do not teach until at least second grade.
Indeed, Japan’s anxieties about its declining competitiveness echo the angst of another nation two decades ago, when Japan was the economic upstart.
“Japan’s interest in learning from Indian education is a lot like America’s interest in learning from Japanese education,” said Kaoru Okamoto, a professor specializing in education policy at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo.
Is it time for America to adopt strict education standards for our children like those of Japan and/or India? How many parents would even allow their kids to be taught like this without screaming that their individuality is being threatened?
I really think that we as a country have got to decide that education is important for the well being of the country as a whole, not so much strictly for the well-being of the individual. Both of those ideals can co-exist, but people have got to stop being so near-sighted about education.