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CHAPTER EDUCATIONAL REFORMS IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND THE FUTURE EDUCATION IN JAPAN

The implementation of the extension of the length of compulsory education and the ideal of secondary education for all, as seen in other developed countries, correspond to the popularization and expansion of upper secondary education in Japan. This is rooted in the increasing need both of individuals and of society resulting from the elevation of the nation living standard, the increasing industrialization of Japan and the democratization of the nation.

The educational system and instructional content, however, varies from country to country. For example, in the U.S.A., full-time upper secondary schools are open to all, while in European countries, attempt is made to attain this goal by providing various kinds of full-time secondary school education or making it the duty of employers to give part-time supplemental vocational training to their employees.

In our country, in spite of the considerable rise of the rate of entrants to upper secondary schools, there still remain not a small number of youth who enter other types of educational institutions or do not receive any sort of education. So expansion and enrichment of upper secondary education should be studied with due regard (l) to individual abilities and aptitudes which at this stage are becoming more specific; (2) to differences in the living conditions of youth; and (3) to the needs of the changing society.