The Japanese way of learning

There is one undeniable truth about India – we are all educated but very few are wise. We are not even talking about unemployable; we are only saying they are not trained as much about life as we or our fathers were. We will blame it all on development, economic progress but then how come Japan, one of the most developed countries on earth is working on producing not just intelligent but more humane children.

The Japanese way of education is probably what our schools should also adapt. Take a quick at the unique but extremely practical ways of teaching in Japan.

• Students do not take any exams until they reach grade four (the age of 10); they are given just small tests.
• The goal for the first 3 years of school is not to judge the child’s knowledge or learning, but to establish good manners and to develop their character.
• Children are taught to respect other people and to be gentle to animals and nature.
• They are taught human qualities like being generous, compassionate, and empathetic while being taught to be gritty, having self-control and being just.
• Their academic year begins on 1^st April. The first day of school often coincides with one of the most beautiful natural phenomena — the time of cherry blossom. The academic year is divided into 3 trimesters: April 1 — July 20, September 1 — December 26, and January 7 — March 25.
• Japanese students get 6 weeks of holidays during the summer and two-week breaks in winter and spring.
• No janitors are employed – students have to clean the classrooms, cafeterias, and even toilets all by themselves. This helps them respect their own work and the work of others.
• In public elementary and junior high schools, the lunch for students is cooked according to a standardized menu, teachers and students eat together in the classrooms.
• Apart from traditional subjects, Japanese students also learn Japanese calligraphy and poetry.
• The school attendance rate in Japan is about 99.99%.