The Northwest times. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1947-1955, 1950-02-08

TOKYO, Japan, Feb. 8 Exclusive
to Northwest Tines - What chan
ges have occurred in the Japanese
educational system since the end of
the war? What steps are being taken
to teach democracy to the younger
generation which will eventually de-
eide whether the job of democratic
cation has been done well enough?
In trying to find an answer to
these questions. let us examine the
present system - the number of
schools. the number of teachers and
students, the subjects taught in
them. the attitude of the teachers
towards the students and vice versa.
Let us begin by going over few
facts.
According to statistics compiled
by the Ministry of Education, there
were SGT colleges and universities
and other institutions of higher
learning and 1852 elementary and
high schools. The higher schools had
a total of 395,953 students while
18, 493 ,097 boys and girls were en-
rolled in the lower grades.
Among the lower grades the ratio
of boys to girls is almost equal, being
9446,617 boys to 9,046 480 girls. How
ever in the colleges and universities
the ratio is almost eight boys to one
girl One can readily understand
that the fair sex, as yet, does not
have either the opportunity or the
desire to continue into higher insti-
buttons of learning.
The authorities have had to peg
the ratio of teachers per so students
in the primary schools at 1.35 and
in the so-called middle schools at IT
When the present SO system (six
years of primary and three years of
middle school was adopted, there
was UNDERSTANDABLE a shortage OF
teachers. The authorities We're COM
PEELED to engage even unqualified
teachers, resulting in inadequate
education and many complaints from
parents.
The Government is now repor-
tedly taking budgetary measures to
increase the number of teachers by
10000. Be that as it may, there are
now 584.661 teachers. 226,251 of them
women, in the elementary grades
as compared with 5,104 in the high
er institutions of learning. The tea
cheers in the colleges ana universe
ties are predominantly male with
males outnumbering females 20 to
one.
There are quite a few normal
schools and teachers colleges-109
of them. Their total enrolment as
of July Is, 1949 was 36,640 with
25.249 being male and 1891 female
Schools for the blind number 70
with 697 men and 293 women tutors
A total of 1888 boys and 1913 girls
attend them. Seventy two institu-
tons for the deaf and dumb are
maintained in Japan with a total
enrolment of 1888, the number of
boys and girls being about equal.
Kindergartens, 1,785 of them, ex-
list throughout the country and take
care of 228,8O7 tiny tots. Considering
the abundant postwar crop of babies,
it doesn't take a learned sociologiSt
to see that the current kiddie schools
won't be sufficient to meet the de-
mand soon
During the war, many children
of school age were sent out into the
country and consequently got be-
hind on their education. Others who
did stay in otwn spent more time
running to bomb shelters or tilling
vegetable gardens than studying
Older boys and girls were practically
forced to work in munitions factor
les or other essential-to-war indus
tries. The result is a foregone con-
clusion.
The Education Ministry last year
carried out spot surveys to deter
mine the educational level and ability
of elementary school children. This
was only done on a small scale and
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