According to a fiscal 1993 survey conducted by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, one in four elementary school pupils and more than half of lower secondary school students attended privately operated classes on school subjects, known as juku. The attendance ratios were 23.6% for elementary school pupils and 59.5% for lower secondary school students. Statistics for fiscal 1976 showed that 12.0% of elementary school pupils and 38.0% of lower secondary school students were attending juku; the corresponding figures for fiscal 1985 were 16.5% and 44.5%, respectively. The fiscal 1993 results are thus indicative of an uptrend in recent years (
Figure I.1.8).
The leading reason cited by parents for sending children to juku was "The child wants to attend" (46.0%), followed by "No one at home can help with studies" (33.3%), "The child does not study independently" (32.4%), and "School study alone is not enough to ensure success in entrance examinations" (26.0%) (
Figure I.1.9). Decisions as to whether children attend juku are made by parents and children themselves, of course, but excessive juku attendance limits children's opportunities for play and experience of activities in everyday life appropriate to their stage of development. Concern has been voiced about the harmful effect that this can have on character formation. Clearly, there are issues involved that cannot be ignored.
