Tag - mext

 
 

MEXT

COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 29, 2015
Caution on the new school curriculum
Students benefit best from a school curriculum that strikes a balance between discovery learning and explicit guidance.
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2015
Education ministry failing to address teacher shortfall at overseas Japanese schools, report finds
Despite a recent surge in the number of Japanese school-age children living abroad, the ministry has failed to dispatch enough teachers.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2015
In 'historic' shift, night school admission standards are eased in Japan
In a landmark development, the government has dictated a drastic easing of admission requirements for night junior high school, paving the way for victims of childhood abuse and bullying to take the classes again, only this time actually benefitting from them.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2015
New Japanese voters emerge from school unaware of their potential at polls
With the voting age lowered to 18 from 20, an estimated 2.4 million people, including high school students, will be allowed to vote for the first time in next summer's Upper House election.
EDITORIALS
Jun 30, 2015
Abe's ill-conceived university policy
The government should remember that the primary purpose of unversities is to provide students with a well-rounded education that helps them became more insightful citizens.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2015
Subsidies used as carrot to prod Japan's national universities to streamline and ditch humanities
In a move that has angered academics, the Abe administration plans to reform the national university system by telling schools to abolish departments in fields deemed less useful to the industrial world, such as the humanities, and provide more "practical" education to win a greater share of the subsidies,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 30, 2015
Schools in Japan to let transgender students use whichever locker room they prefer
The education ministry has issued a landmark notice urging local education boards to ensure that schools do more to cater to children who believe they were born the wrong gender.
EDITORIALS
Mar 26, 2015
Coping with research misconduct
The education and science ministry should not hesitate to revise a government guideline for dealing with research conduct so that it ensures fairness and transparency for the accused during investigations.
EDITORIALS
Dec 30, 2014
End of the STAP dream
At the very least, the education ministry, Riken research institute officials and others must determine what went wrong with the dream of STAP cell research and push for drastic change in Japan's research environment.
EDITORIALS
Dec 25, 2014
Testing students' ability to think
An education ministry council could be presenting an over-idealized picture of its proposed reforms of Japan's university entrance exams, often criticized for placing too much emphasis on rote learning.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Nov 17, 2014
Are Japan's public school teachers paid too much?
Japanese teachers make more money than the world average, but they also work many more hours.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 8, 2014
Determining good and evil, with the kids
What is "moral education"?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2014
Poll on national character finds love of Japan is increasing
The latest government survey on national character has found that 83 percent of Japanese, if they were to be reborn, would choose to live in Japan rather than anywhere else.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2014
Shizuoka governor rapped for posting school scores online
Education minister Hakubun Shimomura on Friday harshly criticized Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu for disclosing the names of public elementary schools that scored above average in this year's nationwide achievement test, saying the move goes against ministry rules.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jun 1, 2014
56 schools across Japan aim to nurture 'Super Global' leaders
The Super Global High Schools project, a key part of the Japanese government's plan to reverse two decades of economic decline and growing insularity among the young, tasks 56 schools with creating a new generation of global leaders.
EDITORIALS
May 10, 2014
Good example of English use
Perhaps an education ministry division's decision to begin conducting its meetings in English this month will help shake loose Japan's grammar-translation paradigm, which does little to compel students to communicate and understand English better.

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition