Education gap

Current Status

In Japan today, the issue of educational gap has become one of the social issues that threaten the rights of children. Because there are so many cases in which educational gaps are caused by “child poverty” or develop from ”child poverty.” They are often explained together. However, in view of the importance of the issue of “educational gap,” this website distinguishes this issue from other issues related to daily life among the issues of “child poverty” and dares to create a new, independent section on this page, which is different from “child poverty”. (*Because of this nature, we have omitted this section regarding the overall overview regarding “child poverty,” so we recommend that those who are interested in this topic visit the “Poverty” page).

Types of educational gap

Now, regarding the educational gap, there are two types of gaps “the gap related to whether the quality of education is high or low” and “the gap related to access to the educational system itself.” This is exactly the same composition as the “relative poverty” and “absolute poverty” discussed in the section on “Poverty,” with the former being a problem that exists mostly in developed countries and the latter in developing countries. In most cases, the current situation regarding educational gaps among Japanese children falls into the former category.

Quality gap in education

So what exactly does “Quality gap in education” mean? For example, the affordability of prep schools and cram schools is probably the most obvious example especially in Asian countries. Compared to children from households with average incomes, children from needy households tend to have more difficulty in accessing out-of-school study services such as prep schools and cram schools. This is because prep schools and cram schools often charge high monthly fees and tuition.

It can also be viewed from the perspective of disparities between public and private schools. Currently, there is a complex disparity between many private and public schools in Japan. For example, disparities in course content and tuition fees can be mentioned as examples of such disparities. The former is a situation in which public schools have slower class curricula and progress than private schools, and thus the quality of education in public schools is lower than in private schools. The latter refers to the fact that private schools charge significantly higher tuition than public schools. Children from needy households have difficulty in accessing private schools, and there is a reality that public schools are practically the only option available to them. Of course, it is not true that all public and private schools in Japan are alike in these two aspects, but it is certainly true that these two characteristics exist as a general trend.

Ultimately, this situation leads closely to an “academic disparity” between children from needy households and those who are not.

Academic disparity

The “academic disparity” can be said to be a result of the current academic society in Japan. This disparity can be described as the result of the “educational disparity” of children that spills over into society. The academic disparity casts a shadow over many kinds of life events, such as getting a job, getting married, etc. This is the so-called “academic discrimination.” Most people in Japan have probably heard of the term “academic background filter.” For example, there is a well-known problem that when you try to apply for a job fair, a university with a high deviation score shows that there are vacancies, while a university with a low deviation score shows that there are no vacancies. In many other cases, university graduates marry other university graduates and high school graduates marry other high school graduates. Thus, “academic background discrimination” still exists deeply rooted in Japan, and discussions continue to be held daily from various perspectives by people in various positions.

As this problem continues to progress…

Through these gaps, the issue of educational gaps for children is transformed into an issue with a secondary impact on a larger scale. That is the income gap based on the educational gap.

The “academic disparity” caused by poverty prevents equal opportunities for all people when it comes to employment and as this trend progresses, society will enter a situation where there is an excessive income gap. If this problem becomes serious, there is a danger that the distribution of benefits throughout society will become stagnant, triggered by the spread of wealth and poverty, leading to the fixation of social classes based on income. This in turn will have a cascading effect on intergenerational poverty, as described in the section on “Poverty,” and will ultimately be the most significant cause of the “educational gap” for future generations of children. The problem of the educational gap, like poverty, is a problem with a chain of effects. Therefore, the problem of “educational gap” is one of the most urgent social issues to be solved both in the short and long term.

In the “Convention on the Rights of the Child”...

Incidentally, the education of children is specifically stipulated in Articles 28 and 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Please refer to the page of the Convention on the Rights of the Child for an explanation of these articles.

Improvements

This problem is connected to the issue of “academic disparity” and seems difficult to solve because it is deeply rooted in the system of Japanese society known as “academic society.” At the same time, however, it is an undeniable fact that it is a social issue that urgently needs to be resolved. In this situation, there are several possible ways to improve the situation.

Budget reorganization

We believe that a substantial increase in the education budget is one of the most effective ways to bring this problem closer to a quick solution. For example, we believe that it would be effective to further improve subsidies for tuition and school fees for children from needy families, whether private or public, and to increase the budget allocated to scholarships for children who are keen to study. For example, we believe that it would be effective to further improve subsidies for tuition and school fees for children from needy families, whether private or public, and to increase the budget allocated to scholarships for children who are eager to study. Generating a budget for education is a difficult task, but the first thing to do is to remove waste from the budget as quickly as possible. If those who want to be educated can be educated regardless of wealth, they will contribute to society as they become adults. It would be a good idea to collect ”education-related taxes” from those who play an active role in the society and allocate them to the budget for the next generation's rich education. In this way, we could create a good cycle of educational enrichment that transcends generations. In addition, it is important to legislate a number of new education-related bills that clearly define these issues.

Entrance examinations and other institutional changes

We believe that a drastic change in the entrance examination and other systems would be an effective measure for improvement. As mentioned above, the reason for the “discrimination in academic background” is thought to be Japan's “academic background society,” and I believe that the current entrance examination system is deeply intertwined with the factors that create the “academic background society” itself.

The current entrance examination system seems to be unequal and unfair in terms of the preconditions for taking the entrance examination. This is because, as mentioned above, differences in wealth determine whether students can attend cram schools and prep schools, which in turn leads to an advantage or disadvantage in the entrance examination process. As a way to change this situation, we believe that schools should create a new entrance examination system.

Specifically, in this system, schools require applicants to write an “essay” and have an interview at an early stage prior to the entrance examination, in which they are asked about their reasons for applying and their prospects after admission, and those who are highly motivated to study are awarded scholarships or tuition at cram schools or preparatory schools. For example, a certain university requires first-year high school students who wish to apply to that university to write an “essay.” The important point here is that they are ”first-year high school students.” Under this system, students are able to decide early on which school they want to apply to, in other words, students who are more enthusiastic about the school they want to attend will benefit from this system. Then, from among these students, those who show enthusiasm for their studies after admission are selected and invited for an interview. The university then awards scholarships and tuition at prep/cram schools to those who show extraordinary enthusiasm at the interview. What is important to note about this system is that the “essay” and “interview” are not the only factors that determine whether a school will accept or reject an applicant. It means that the school will provide funds to a person who is enthusiastic about the school, and after studying with the funds, the person will take the entrance examination of the school. Of course, it is up to the applicant to pass the entrance examination, and if he/she is not accepted, it may seem at first glance that the funds provided by the school will be wasted. However, if the child also applies to other schools and is accepted, then the child from the poor family can use the funds to enroll in college, and as a result, the child's own academic intentions will ultimately be fulfilled in the big picture. In other words, this will slowly increase the long-term benefits to society as a whole by lowering the hurdles for children from poor families to pursue their studies.

Of course, there are a number of challenges to implementing this approach, and some criticisms may be voiced because of the pattern of schools' inability to obtain the students they fund. Furthermore, I feel that there is a certain aspect of the system itself that is too idealistic in its operation.

Compared to the current entrance examination system, however, this system will pursue the long-term interests of society as a whole by expanding opportunities for admission to a greater number of people from various backgrounds, and by allowing truly talented individuals with a passion for study, regardless of wealth or poverty, to enter the schools they want to attend, thereby contributing to the good of society. Of course, there will be some adverse effects associated with the introduction of this system, but because it is bold and innovative, we believe that it will be a kind of novel policy that can turn the "educational gap" around from its current state.

Educational version of “Children's Cafeteria”

There are other possible ways to move toward a solution besides large-scale reforms, such as changing the system or legislating new legislation. For example, how about creating a new place where children can study in the form of a “children's cafeteria.” This could be called an educational version of a “children's cafeteria.” The idea is to create spaces throughout Japan where children who are willing to study, regardless of wealth or poverty, can study freely while receiving instruction. We believe it would be appropriate for the system to be operated by an influential private organization, NPO, or independent administrative agency commissioned by the government. Of course, it will not be easy to expand the system to a nationwide scale, but if it is realized and put in place, the “educational gap” will be dramatically improved in the long run, and the generational chain of the “educational gap” will be eliminated.