Japanese children go to elementary school for 6 years and then go to junior high school for 3 years. These 9 years are compulsory education.
In Ibaraki prefecture, 98% of all junior high school graduates enter high schools.
To enter the best high school for them, children must pass the entrance examination for the school they choose. In Ibaraki prefecture, there aren’t enough public high schools to accept all the students, so there are also private high schools.
Since private high school tuition is very expensive, most parents would want their children to go to a public high school. And all public high school’s examination date is the same day so that children can try just one public high school examination. However, recently the number of parents who send their children to private schools is increasing because private schools are believed to have better education systems and facilities.
In order to pass the entrance examination to the best school, many students attend special preparation cram schools (juku). Even though the tuition fee of a juku is of course very expensive, most parents send their children to a cram school to make them win the most competitive examination race.
Well, this entrance exam system is a characteristic of Japan. So junior high school students, especially 3rd graders must be studying really hard and most of them go to a cram school. Cram schools are not only very expensive but parents also have to drive their children to and from cram schools during busy evenings, or even if children can go to the cram school by themselves it would be worrisome for the parents.
By the way, how do the students choose which high school’s examination to try?
One of my sons is a 3rd grader in a junior high school and is now studying hard to pass the examination to the high school he wants to attend. He was a handball player in his junior high school, so he chose a private high school and a public high school which both have decent handball team for him.
Like my son, so many students choose their high schools because of a club activity such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, brass band and so on. There are students who choose their high school from high level schools, in order to prepare for the next competitive race “University entrance examinations”.
High school entrance examinations will all finish in March. I wish them good luck!
In Ibaraki prefecture, 98% of all junior high school graduates enter high schools.
To enter the best high school for them, children must pass the entrance examination for the school they choose. In Ibaraki prefecture, there aren’t enough public high schools to accept all the students, so there are also private high schools.
Since private high school tuition is very expensive, most parents would want their children to go to a public high school. And all public high school’s examination date is the same day so that children can try just one public high school examination. However, recently the number of parents who send their children to private schools is increasing because private schools are believed to have better education systems and facilities.
In order to pass the entrance examination to the best school, many students attend special preparation cram schools (juku). Even though the tuition fee of a juku is of course very expensive, most parents send their children to a cram school to make them win the most competitive examination race.
Well, this entrance exam system is a characteristic of Japan. So junior high school students, especially 3rd graders must be studying really hard and most of them go to a cram school. Cram schools are not only very expensive but parents also have to drive their children to and from cram schools during busy evenings, or even if children can go to the cram school by themselves it would be worrisome for the parents.
By the way, how do the students choose which high school’s examination to try?
One of my sons is a 3rd grader in a junior high school and is now studying hard to pass the examination to the high school he wants to attend. He was a handball player in his junior high school, so he chose a private high school and a public high school which both have decent handball team for him.
Like my son, so many students choose their high schools because of a club activity such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, brass band and so on. There are students who choose their high school from high level schools, in order to prepare for the next competitive race “University entrance examinations”.
High school entrance examinations will all finish in March. I wish them good luck!
