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As a child I had the good luck to participate in the Japanese school system as well as the Hungarian one. I attended a real Japanese school for part of the first grade and from the 4th to 6th grades. I’d now like to summarize that experience and raise a few thoughts since reforming the Hungarian school system is currently under discussion.

First, let me briefly introduce you the Japanese school system. Kids in Japan attend primary school (shougakkou) from age 6 to 12, and then go on to 3 years of junior high school (chuugakkou) followed by 3 years of senior high school (koutougakkou). College or university comes after that. The Japanese believe that a person who graduates from a good university has excellent chances of getting a good job, which means being a success in life. So, naturally, every parent does their utmost to see that the children get the best possible preparation for college admission exams. The way to do that is to enroll the child in the best possible junior and senior high schools, which means that the schools with better reputations need to hold admission examinations, and that in turn means having the best level of preparation in the primary schools. There are already some primary schools that take only the most talented children. In addition to attending good schools, children take private classes and study ahead in schools called yukus, which they attend after regular school lets out in the afternoon, to obtain the extra information needed to do well in the exams. This system leads to the so called examination hell, in other words, to a childhood of immersion in studying with no time left to be a child. So let me make it clear in advance that I would not like to see this version of hell as the future of Hungarian education. Continue reading…