I've always liked studying. I could never understand people who complained that they HAD TO go to school. And how much they hated it. (Now you can see that all over the internet, unfortunately, because the teens with too much free time in their hands are in power over the net; my baby sister always updates me on pages like these http://www.kwejk.pl/, where on Sundays you see tons of pictures about how much they hate school, how much they don't need it and how much they would kill the teachers/parents if they could be MacGyvers and invent a laser gun from an eraser and math notebook... etc.). Oh, I would forget: how much they 'don't need no education' nor any A-levels or its equivalent to achieve anything in life.
Well, it's fine with me. Drop out, go away, do something else with your life, so I do not have to be surrounded by you and laughed at how much of a geek I am, and then afterwards eagerly looked for when the test approaches so you have somebody to cheat from. And I could be spared all the talks from teachers who try to cheer you up, telling that you're not 'THAT hopeless', 'grades don't mean a thing', and 'you do have bright moments sometimes, which makes it more valuable for me as a teacher than listening to people who can talk smartly all the time'. All of which wonderfully cross out all my hard work for all my life.
But no, in Poland there is a so-called school duty till the age of 18. So instead of letting people do what they like at the age of 15 or 16, like in most reasonable countries, even cease studying if they wish to, in Poland they are still over-keeping them at upper high schools. How pointless, but foremost how discouraging it is for people that actually like learning new things, like to study and want to achieve something, we can all imagine.
Kids in Japan start going to school at the age of 6 when they enter 小学校 (shoo-gakkoo), elementary school. Before that, from as early as 3 years old they can attend 幼稚園(yoochi-en), kindergarten. After 6 grades of elementary school (altogether 6 years), there is a compulsory 3 year long 中学校(chuu-gakkoo), junior high school. Although since then the studying is not obligatory, over 98% of teens proceed to 高等学校(kootoo-gakkoo), known in short as 高校(kookoo), lasting 3 years. These who decide not to go to the upper high can decide to go to 高専(koo-sen), College of Technology, which lasts 5 years.
Afterwards they it all depends which road they want to take. 1/ They can proceed to 大学(daigaku), university, and after 4 years achieve a Bachelor equivalent; if they wish to continue, they can proceed to 大学院(daigaku-in) which roughly translates as 'graduate school', where you can obtain your Master and Ph.D.; university studies are not free, they require fees. 2/ They can go to school/college/university known commonly under the name of 大学校(dai-gakkoo), which are either provided by the national government or by independent institutions. For instance, it can be a Meteorological College provided by already mentioned Japanese Meteorological Agency, Japanese Coast Guard Academy or a Polytechnic University by the Ministry of Defense. Depending on the institution, fees are being paid for the student, some of them are even paying students the salary and provide them with work after graduation. On some of the institutions a further academic career is possible; 3/They can go to medicine-related schools like 医学部 (igaku-bu), Medicine School, 獣医学部 (juigaku-bu), Veterinary School, 歯学部 (shika-bu), Dentistry School, 薬学部 (yakugaku-bu), Pharmaceutical School, and 防衛医科大学校 (booei ikka daigakko), National Defense Medical College. On all but the latter there is a possibility of proceeding to Ph D. studies. 4/ Alternatively, right after upper high school they can go to 短期大学(tanki daigaku, literally short-term university) Community College, or a 専門学校(senmon gakko), Vocational School. They both last 2 years.
Going to university requires passing not only the university exams, but also the National Entrance Exam, conducted all around Japan on the same day. The best universities accept only the best students with great academic history and perfect exam performance.
In Japan the educational system is strict - you either wish to study, or just go away, but don't just sit back and expect miracles to happen afterwards. Any unexpected fortune to inherit, becoming another Bill Gates by sheer fluke, creating a new Apple you will name Pear, and one day becoming a music star. It will not happen if you don't take your life in your hands, and don't work hard to obtain it. If you do wish to study, don't do it half-way just to please your mommy and daddy, you can as well do it really hard, it will only be for your benefit.
Already seeing a smirk on your face? Well, you are entitled to your own opinion. But how many worldwide-known and desired goods does your country produce? Why do you think that is? Japan is just a tiny little island country on the edge of three massive tectonic plates. People who like to see the obstacles everywhere have a perfect example of almost nothing but obstacles: earthquakes, typhoons, mountains, no free space for farming, not much land for crops, being and island country, very little national resources, post-World War II disasters, one of the weirdest languages in the world with a really weird writing system. How did this country manage to stand up and have such an influence on the entire world still baffles the researchers, but the fact that people are organized and determined to work hard and cooperate regardless of what they actually do definitely helps. If they farm animals, they give this task everything they can. If they are the サラリーマン, the white-collar workers, they still work as good as they can. If they study, they give their very best.
And it all pays off in the long run. Because after all any country is mostly the sum of people that form its nation. And honestly, Japanese people are are one of the best 'resources' Japan has ever had.
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| And now all together, gentlemen, all together! No place for 協調性がない人 - people with no cooperative spirit. |
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