Chapter 22: National Policies and Practices on ICT in Education: Japan

The Japanese school enrollment rate is one of the highest in the world. The enrollment rate for the nine years of compulsory education is almost 100%, and the enrollment rate for upper-secondary education is over 95%. Just over half of all upper-secondary graduates proceed to tertiary education, such as universities, two-year colleges, or special vocational institutions. These figures indicate that schooling is a very important part of life in Japan and is deeply embedded in its society.

The Japanese education system is a centralized one, with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)¹ responsible for educational decision-making and the funding, controlling, and monitoring of education since the Meiji restoration. The Ministry sets guidelines for the school curriculum, schoolteachers (qualifications, salary, teacher:student ratio, etc.), class size, school buildings (number of classroom, equipment, including computer laboratories), and so on. However, it is the local governments that determine and carry out implementation of these features according to the guidelines. The Course of Study compiled by the Ministry plays the most influential role in determining the curriculum content taught in Japanese schools. The Ministry is also responsible for approving the textbooks used in schools. However, in recent years, there have been several initiatives to decentralize educational decision-making. Local governments and boards of education are now asked to decide on their own goals and guidelines related to educational endeavors within their own jurisdictions, and the Ministry’s role increasingly is becoming one of guidance and support for local actions.