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PART Recent Trends and Developments in Government Policies in Education, Science and Culture

In March 1989 the Ministry revised the Courses of Study for kindergartens, elementary schools, lower secondary schools and upper secondary schools. The basic aim of the revision was to help children develop the competence to live a positive life, adapting themselves to various changes in society.

The revised Course of Study for Kindergartens was put into effect in 1990. It is scheduled that the Course of Study for Elementary Schools will take effect in 1992 and the Course of Study for Lower Secondary Schools will be put into force in 1993.The Course of Study for Upper Secondary Schools will take effect in 1994 for the 10th grade, in 1995 for the 11th grade and in 1996 for the 12th grade.

With a view to helping individual schools successfully shift to the revised Course of Study and allowing them to adopt part of the revised content even before the full implementation of the revised curriculum, the Ministry began in 1990 to adopt certain transitional measures for allowing schools to conduct moral instruction and "special" (extra-curricular) activities in accordance with the revised Course of Study. With the aim of ensuring a successful transition to the revised Course of Study, the Ministry has been organizing a number of training seminars so that all schoolteachers will be well informed of the objectives of the revised Course of Study. It has also been preparing a number of teachers' guides.

If the curriculum is to be improved and enriched so as to make it relevant to anew age, research and development regarding the content and methods of teaching are essential. With this in view, the Ministry plans to steadily conduct action research on appropriate issues in research and development.

Regarding cumulative records on pupils, since January 1990 the Ministry has been studying how to improve these records with respect to the changes in the formulas, which should follow the revision of the Course of Study, and with respect to how to keep them in custody.

As regards the issue of the reduction of the school week to five days, it is necessary to consider this issue paying due attention to the necessity of maintaining the level of educational standards, the necessity of keeping the work load of children optimum. and the necessity of enriching and invigorating children's out-of-school life. Consideration should also be given to trends in public opinion concerning this issue. In August 1989 the Ministry organized a Consultative Committee on this issue, and in December 1989 it designated a number of pilot schools which were to try out the five day school week, with a view to carrying out empirical studies on this subject.