Japan's schools: now too lenient?

"It is obvious the assumption that the lenient curriculum is causing a decline in academic ability is unfounded," says Hisashi Fusegi, a professor of education at Shinshu University in central Japan.

Proponents of yutori kyoiku say the debate over declining academic ability has been significantly influenced by elite corporations as well as some university teachers who want to ensure a steady supply of high achievers. Opponents of the so-called lenient curriculum argue that education should respond to market forces whereby schools are accountable for students' results.

"This thinking holds that if lenient education doesn't result in higher grades, then results-based [teaching] should take priority," Mr. Fusegi says.

Parents in particular have been vocal opponents of the five-day school week. Some parents simply don't want to look after their kids for one extra day as it means a loss of time at the workplace. Many more are concerned their children aren't getting enough learning time. "I would prefer that they have classes on Saturdays," says Yuriko Kano, a mother of two children. "Otherwise, we have to send our kids to expensive cram schools to keep up."

Indeed, surveys show that half of parents think their children need extra education outside of regular school as long as the lenient education policy remains. Some polls even suggest that the gap in scholastic ability is widening between children from wealthy households, which can afford to send their children to private schools as well as pay high cram-school fees, and their peers who attend regular public schools.

The Ministry of Education says parental attitudes are partly to blame for the rough ride the lenient education system has had. "Parents ought to be more cooperative and not leave the entire responsibility for educating their children to schools," says Tatsuya Otsuki, a section chief at the ministry working on junior high school curriculums.

Schools have tried to compensate for the loss of teaching hours on Saturday by increasing classroom time on weekdays. Last year, 90 percent of elementary schools taught longer hours than required under ministry guidelines, and when the new school year kicked off in May, surveys showed that elementary and junior high schools were increasing classroom time by another 12 percent.

But this step has backfired in some cases. "In his first year at elementary school, my son had five hours a day in formal classes because there was no Saturday teaching time - his social contact time with friends suffered as a result," says another mother, Mayuko Kijima.

"It's so boring," her 6-year-old son complains.

Many teachers also say life was easier under the old system. "While working hours have decreased for teachers now that Saturday is a holiday, some say that classroom time during weekdays has in fact become less lenient ... and that having the extra day to teach was actually more relaxing," says Fusegi.

Nevertheless, reversing the yutori kyoiku system only three years after its full introduction would be premature, say some observers. Japan's population is expected to begin shrinking in a few years and some lawmakers hope that a plan to reduce class sizes to 30 students from the current 40 will let teachers focus more on the learning style of individual students and help boost overall results.

Supporters of the system point to its successes outside the narrow terms of scholastic ability. The Ministry of Education's own studies show that the decrease in textbook-based learning and classroom competitiveness has helped students develop the will to learn beyond simply studying for exams. It has also become easier for children at risk of dropping out to survive in school, says Mr. Fusegi. Some parents have observed a change for the better in their kids' demeanor - they say their children appear more engaged and have a more positive attitude since Saturday schooling ended.

"I think it's good that Saturday is a holiday. Our kids can recover their energy for study and school club activities by enjoying themselves on the weekends," says Masumi Kodanagi, a mother of two schoolchildren.

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