The Qualities of a Good Educational Comparativist

 Objectivity
 Readiness to visit foreign places
 Interest in reading education books widely and
fastly
 Good qualification in the subject.
 Japanese Education System

Background
 Japanese education was concerned with religion as well as ethics (traditional
education).
• Initially, the Japanese education followed the American education system
• As a democratic state, educational opportunities are made available to all citizens
of Japan.
• However, the Japanese education system generally include:
• (a) the formal school system (b) the less formal system of education for the
purpose of administration, schools at all levels are divided into (a) State (b) Local (c)
Public and (d) Private.
• There is no difference in all the categories of schools in Japan except in the areas of
administration and finance.
• The first nine years of Japanese education is free and compulsory.
 Objectives of Japanese education

 The development of broad mindedness, a health

body and creativity in individuals.

 The rearing of the spirit of freedom, self reliance

and public awareness.
 Educating the Japanese individual to live in the
global human society.
 Japanese Education System

• Pre-School Education in Japan (3-5 Years)

• Elementary education in Japan normally takes place in the
kindergarten schools.
• The primary objective of pre-school education in Japan is to
give all round development to the Japanese children.
• The curriculum for this level of education include:
Health, Social Studies, Nature study, Language, Music, Art,
Arithmetic, Writing, Reading, Songs, Tales and Physical
Education
 Japanese Elementary Education (6 Years)

• Elementary Education in Japan was organized on four years duration

initially.
• In the year 1886, this level of education was made free and
compulsory.
• Also in 1908, the compulsory elementary education was raised to six
years from the original four years.
• The curriculum for this level of education include, Japanese language,
social studies, Arithmetic, Science, Music, Art and Craft, home
Education, Physical Education, Moral Education, (in public schools)
Religious Education (in Private Schools).
 According to the 1972 Education Reform, education in Japan aims at the following

 The development of basic abilities in the young

people side by side with a set of specified
vocational skills,
 The preparation of students to cope flexibly with
rapid progress in science and technology,
 The preparation of the students for social life. About
97% of the Japanese children attend public
elementary schools while only about 3% go to
private elementary schools.
 Secondary Education in Japan

 This level of education is divided into two cycles, namely: Lower or

Junior Secondary Upper Secondary Schools
 Lower or Junior Secondary: This cycle of Secondary Education is free
and compulsory like elementary education. It lasts for 3 years and
designed for children ages 12 to 15 years.
 The primary objective of this level of education is to give all round
development to the Japanese children and to give continuity to the
Japanese elementary education. The curriculum for this level of
education include:
 Japanese Language, Social Studies, Mathematics, General Science,
Vocational and home Education, Foreign Language, Vocational
Subjects, Agriculture, Industry, Commerce and Fisheries.
 Upper Secondary Schools

 It should be noted that Upper Secondary School as well as preschool

education are not free and compulsory for the Japanese children.
 The primary objective of this cycle of secondary education is to give
general and specialized education to the students.
 They are: (a) 3 years full time upper secondary schools and 4 years
part-time and correspondence upper school.
Upper secondary education curriculum include:
 Japanese Language, Social Studies, Ethics, Civics, Political Science,
Economics, Mathematics, Physical Education, Fine Arts, Music,
Handicrafts and geography and Finally, Home Education for girls.
 Teacher Education in Japan

 Teachers for kindergarten schools are always trained in the

teacher
 Training Institutions while the secondary school teachers
are also trained in the Universities.
 In the same vein, teachers for the Japanese higher
institutions are equally trained in the Universities. It should
be noted that before a person can be appointed to teach in
any public tertiary institution, such a person is expected to
have a minimum of Masters degree in the area where he
wants to teach.
 Adult Education

 Adult education in Japan is regarded as social education.

 This kind of education is always organized by the Ministry of
Education for the Japanese citizens who are not in the formal school.
Towards this education, the Ministry of Education always provides
correspondence courses. Such correspondence courses are in
vocational, technical,
agricultural, fishery as well as forestry subjects. The ministry efforts
are always complemented with radio and television programmes
particularly in the area of general education.
 Nongovernmental bodies also assist in Japanese adult education.
 Special Education

 Right from the year 1973, an official recognition was accorded the
education of special children in Japan.
objectives of special education in Japan
 Its objectives include the following:
 To identify and give appropriate educational programmes to the
affected children,
 To establish national centres for research and training,
 For the integration, whenever possible of the handicapped with
normal children and
 To render other possible assistance to the handicapped children.
 Tertiary Education

• In Japan, there are three categories of tertiary institution.

• They are:(a) University (b) Junior College and (c) College of technology.
• In the University, degrees are awarded and students spend between 4-6 years
depending on their course of study.
• At the Junior College, degrees are not awarded unlike in the Universities.
• As stated above, colleges of technology are another form of tertiary institution in
Japan.
• In this institution, educational technology and engineering education are provided.
• This kind of education is primarily designed for the graduates of junior or lower
secondary education. It has duration of five years.
 WORLD TRENDS IN EDUCATION

• INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND EDUCATION

• A wide spectrum of international bodies are involved in education. These include:
• Global Campaign for Education: This organization promotes education as a basic human
right.
• Right to Education Project: The Right to Education Project aims to promote social
mobilisation and legal accountability, looking to focus on the legal challenges to the right to
education.
• UNICEF: believes that in treating education as a basic human right, it will address the basic
inequalities in our society, especially gender inequalities.
• Oxfam International: This organization is a confederation of 12 organizations that are
dedicated to reducing poverty and eliminating injustices in the world. Oxfam works on a
grassroots level in countries around the world to ensure that all people have access to the
basic human rights, including education.
• Save the Children: This organization advocates education as a way for individuals to escape
poverty.
 CONT…

• Peace Corps: This United States government organization has

volunteers on the ground in 75 countries. Many of the volunteers are
working as teachers in rural areas or working to promote and
improve access to education in the areas in which they are stationed.
• United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (
UNESCO) works to improve education through projects, advice,
capacity-building and networking. UNESCO’s Education for All
Campaign by 2015 is the driving force in UNESCO’s work in the field
of education at the moment.
• World Bank: This organization provides financial and technical
assistance to developing countries. Loans and grants from the
World Bank provide much of the funding for educational projects
around the world, including but not limited to school feeding
programs
 INTERNATIONALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION

• Internationalization of higher education is the process of integrating

an international/intercultural dimension into the teaching, research
and service functions of the institution. This definition, it includes
several important elements:
• internationalization is a process
• internationalisation is a response to the international , to
globalisation and is not to be confused with the globalisation process
itself
• internationalisation includes both international and local elements
(intercultural).
 INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND EDUCATION

• UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural UNESCO; is a specialized agency of the
United Nations (UN). Its stated purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting
international collaboration through education, science, and culture in order to further universal
respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedoms
proclaimed in the UN Charter.
• Role of UNESCO in promotion of education
• -funding research on educational issues
• -commissioning educational publications to disseminate relevant knowledge
• -organizing conferences to enable education experts tackle crucial issues
• -provide funds for infrastructural development
• -providing funds to cater for basic needs of the vulnerable and marginalized
• - producing teaching , learning materials and policy documents
• -sponsoring campaigns to promote education, especially among children and the
marginalized
 UNICEF

• United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was created by the

United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide
emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had
been devastated by World War II.
• In 1953, UNICEF became a permanent part of the
United Nations System and its name was shortened from the original
United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund but it has
continued to be known by the popular acronym based on this old
name. Headquartered in New York City, UNICEF provides long-term
humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers
in developing countries. It is one of the members of the
United Nations Development Group and its Executive Committee.
 UNICEF's role in education

• The role is geared to achieving the eight Millennium development

goals namely.
• Millennium Development Goals by 2015, the goals follow:
• To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• To achieve universal primary education
• To promote gender equality and empowering women
• To reduce child mortality rates
• To improve maternal health
• To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
• To ensure environmental sustainability
• To develop a global partnership for development
 Challenges facing university education in Africa

• Absent Lecturers. ...

• High University fees. ...
• Absence of student loans. ...
• High cost of living. ...
• Lack of curriculum standardization. ...
• Frequent lecturer strikes. ...
• Frequent student unrest. ...
• Lack of Job opportunities.
 Problems that are affecting teachers’ education in Africa.

Teacher Shortages
• Low Teacher Salaries and Poor Working Conditions
• Inadequate Teacher Training
• Inequitable Distribution of Teachers:
• Political Instability and Conflicts
• Gender Disparities:
• Lack of Continuing Professional Development
• Language Barriers
• Inadequate Education Data and Monitoring