EduCareer StaffBlog"Rinjin Blog" | "EduCareer"Supporting your career in English teaching in the Japanese school system

Class Size Reduction Proposed

2010/08/10

A government committee is recommending elementary and middle school class sizes be reduced, from a max of 40 students to 35 in middle school and 30 students in elementary classes.

Originally class sizes were set at 50 students, then reduced to 45 after the war, then reduced again to 40 in the 1980s. Larger classes were considered efficient for lecture-style learning and for giving students a base for developing social skills. With the new, more expansive curriculum, Japanese scholastic ability falling, and the so-called "first grade" problem in which students who do not adjust well to school do poorly throughout their school life, smaller class sizes seem a good way to combat these problems.

The biggest obstacle to the plan is budget. Smaller classes mean more classes, and it is unclear if schools will be able to provide the estimated 40,000 extra teachers that would be required for the changes.

How will this affect English teachers? You may find yourself a lot busier-especially in the public schools, where it is less likely a second native teacher will be hired. On the other hand, smaller classes means more individual attention for each student, which can lead to more progress and thus more satisfaction. It is hard to say, too, just how big the effect from the policy (if it is enacted) will be- while many urban schools are full, some rural schools have trouble filling their grades, especially in elementary. With the population decrease, we may see an unfortunately natural decrease in class sizes in the coming years.

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