Educational Reforms: A Lot Can Be Learned From the Japanese

RIYADH, 25 March 2006 — Educational reforms — the theme of the next national dialogue to be held in the northern city of Al-Jouf — can get a shot in the arm if one goes by the experience of the Japanese who stress computer and foreign-language literacy in their curricular program, besides science, mathematics and creative thinking, among other subjects.

This message came across during a meeting Arab News had with a group of Japanese students and researchers who visited the Kingdom’s educational centers, King Abdul Aziz Historical Center, tourist spots, shopping complexes and Saudi Aramco Exhibit during their ten-day visit to Riyadh, Dammam and Jubail that ended on Thursday.

Nobuyuki Oyama, second secretary at the Japanese Embassy, and Seiji Higuchi, researcher on the Middle East and leader of the delegation, were among those present. The Saudi General Presidency for Youth Welfare organized the visit.

Besides Higuchi, the other members of the student delegation were: Masato Tominaga, Fumiho Harada, Seiichi Murayama (all from Tokyo University); Koji Horinuki (Ritsumeikan University); Masashi Fukaya (Tsukuba University); Hiroshi Kawano (Researcher, Petrochemical Co.); Junichi Murao (Arabic Islamic Institute), Tokyo.

The need for educational reforms will take center-stage at the national dialogue, since the general perception is that the present educational system “produces students who are experts at memorization but who cannot think logically and rationally.”

In this context, both Oyama and Higuchi said memorization of lessons, also common in Japanese schools, has been the subject of a debate with the current thinking in favor of a creative approach to learning. Murao, who studied Arabic in Sudan, said he was surprised when his Arabic teacher asked him to memorize the lessons and not write anything on his own.

Koji Horinuki of Ritsumeikan University and Masashi Fukaya of Tsukuba University explained how computer education was gaining greater attention in schools and allowing more free time to students for pursuing subjects of their choice.

Oyama said that though Japanese students continue to be strong in mathematics and science, “the time allotted for these subjects had to be cut down to accommodate other subjects in a crowded curriculum. As a result, they are becoming relatively weak in these subjects.”
In this context, Horinuki said his perception from a shopping experience was that Saudis seem to be weak in calculation.

“The Saudi cashier erred in simple calculation and told me that the price of five items costing SR5 each was SR45!” Teachers acknowledge that heavy reliance on the calculator in Saudi schools has deprived them of the ability to calculate figures mentally.

A salient feature of the educational reforms in Japan is what has been described as “education for the human heart from early childhood.” The main thrust of this program is to sow the seeds of human compassion and develop the strength of character among young children. This would ensure that ill effects of violence and other negative programs on satellite TV channels do not influence young Japanese.

On the question of English teaching, Seiji Higuchi, the leader of the delegation, said there is a revolution in Japan as far as English learning is concerned. “Japanese parents send their children to English-medium schools. Others take private lessons in English so that they improve their communication skills.”

Asked how students spend their vacation, Oyama said teachers give them a lot of homework for the vacation period. They combine home work with surfing on the Internet and going through Manga comics with different themes, such as education, sports, the importance of work ethics, etc. “Hard work is part of our mindset, its importance is underlined both in schools and at home.”

Higuchi, who is here on his second visit to the Kingdom (after seven years), wished he had an opportunity to talk to the ordinary people.

“We saw high class facilities in the Kingdom, met Saudi students and workers in Japanese companies, but we couldn’t meet the ordinary people. We only saw the best part of Saudi Arabia. But when we get tourist visas, maybe, we can see more,” he said.

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=79725&d=25&m=3&y=2006