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CHAPTER 1. CHAPTER 1. QUANTITATIVE EXPANSIONOF EDUCATION
4. Kindergarten Education


In recent years, the number of children in kindergartens has increased greatly. In 1964, the total number of children was 1,060,000, about 7.2times as many as the average number in 1934-36.

The percentage of first grade entrants having previously attended kindergartens was 38.9 per cent in 1964. The trend toward increase in this percentage has been continuous over the past fourteen years. Although this trend indicates an overall increasing popularity of kindergartens, there are major differences among prefectures as shown in Table 20.

Figure 5. Percentage of Elementary School Entrants Having Previously Attended Kindergartens, 1950-1964

To promote kindergarten education the Ministry Education prepared a seven-year (1964-70) plan for raising the percentage up to 60 per cent and promoted the establishment of additional public and private kindergartens.

Comparing the extent of the spread of kindergarten education in Japan and other major countries, the percentage of five years old children receiving kindergarten education was only 38.6 per cent in Japan, as compared with 91.6 per cent in France and 67.8 per cent in the U.S.A. respectively. Expansion of kindergarten education obviously has lagged behind the expansion of secondary and higher education in Japan.

Table 20. Percentage of Elementary School Entrants Having Previously Attended Kindergartens, by Prefectures

Table 21. Percentage of the Age Group Enrolled in Kindergartens in Major Countries

In Japan, there are large numbers of kindergartens established by private institutions. In 1964, 71.9 per cent of all kindegarten children were enrolled in private kindergartens. This percentage is increasing. In foreign countries, to the contrary, the percentage enrolled in public kindergartens is much higher. The percentage of those enrolled in private kindergartens was 17.5 per cent in the U.S.A., 10.9 per cent in the U.K. and12.7 per cent in France.


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