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

Todai Considers Changing Start of School

2011/10/04

Traditionally, spring is the time of new beginnings in Japan. Schools start in April, companies hire new workers in April, and it's considered an auspicious time to start new projects. For Japanese students, however, the spring start puts them out of step with foreign education systems, complicating exchanges and making it difficult for universities to hire foreign professors.

Tokyo University, the leader in Japanese educational trends, is considering adjusting its school year so the classes begin in September. This is to prevent foreign talent from going to economic rivals such as Singapore or South Korea and allow students to participate more fully in international exchange programs, which up until now have been forcing students to miss either part of their home curriculum or part of the exchange in order to coordinate schedules. With the rest of Japan still on the spring start, however, problems arise- students who take exams and graduate high school in March have a six-month gap until September, and university students graduating in the summer will have to wait until spring when hiring begins. This could be a burden on families, but also give students opportunities to volunteer or travel.

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