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CHAPTER . AIMS AND CONTENTS OF EDUCATION AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The early curriculum of the elementary school, originally borrowed from the western countries in the early part of the Meiji Era, was reorganized by adaptation to the peculiar needs of Japan in 1886. The revised curriculum included morals, the national language (reading, composition and calligraphy), arithmetic, physical exercise and music.

These remained the basic subjects of the elementary school curriculum until the end of World War . During that period, new subjects, including history, geography, science, sewing, and crafts were added in the two decades after 1890, and martial arts was introduced in 1941.

Under the educational reform after the war, ethics, history, geography and sewing were eliminated, and social studies and home making were established. In later revision of the course of study, separate class hours were set for moral education and larger emphasis came to be placed upon this subject.

The modernization of secondary school curriculum was completed in1886, as in the case of elementary schools. And the subjects of law and economics were added in 1901, vocational courses in 1911, manual arts work in 1931 and discipline in 1943. Thus the curriculum was expanded to reflect the social changes in the country.

The upper secondary school under the new system after. the war was characterized by richness of subject matters offered, the limited number of required subjects of study, and the large number of elective subjects of study. This system was intended to accommodate individual differences in pupils' desires and aptitudes. However, it has been felt that this system has had the undesirable effect of leading pupils to elect easy subjects or subjects of lesser value for their own educational objectives. As a result, the secondary school course of study was revised in 1956 and 1961 to reduce the number of elective subjects.

As seen in the foregoing, the curricula of elementary and secondary school have undergone minor changes. The basis of the existing curricula can be traced back to those established in 1886. Changes in emphasis on individual subjects and on subject matter to accommodate current needs will be considered in the following.