Computer Use in Japanese Schools

Computer Use in Japanese Schools: Moving Away from BASIC

Most Japanese high schools still teach students to program in BASIC, and only one in three teachers knows how to use a computer. Yet the face of computing in Japanese classrooms looks set to change by the end of the decade, due in large part to a new government awareness of the value of computers as educational tools.

by Virginia Kouyoumdjian

How prevalent is the use of computers in Japanese primary and secondary schools? In general, the same pattern holds true in the classroom as in the office environment: the process of penetration has been slow, and only recently has there been real impetus for increasing the number of computers and for viewing computers primarily as a means to an end (as teaching tools in schools) rather than as an end unto themselves.

The penetration figures for computers look very different depending on the grade levels. Ministry of Education statistics (as of March 1994) show that nearly all (99.9%) public senior high schools now have some kind of computer installation. The corresponding percentages are 98.4% for junior high schools, but only 66.1% for elementary schools. These figures, however, include computers for faculty and administrative use, or can represent a single PC serving an entire school; they are not necessarily indicative of widespread computer use by students.

Until recently, the emphasis of the Ministry of Education has been to provide more computers at the higher grade levels; elementary schools, in particular, have made do with a large number of students per computer. In fact, the average number of computers per Japanese public elementary school is estimated to be just 3. Figures are not available for private schools, but since unlike public schools they receive no government funding for computer purchases, some believe the average number of computers per private school is probably even lower.

Things look set to change within the next few years, however. The government has announced targets to increase the number of personal computers at all levels by 1999. The chart on this page shows the current average number of computers and the government target.

Gradual changes in attitude

Historically, support for the installation of computer systems in Japanese schools began in 1985, when the National Council on Educational Reform issued its proposal on "Broadening the Entire Educational System for the Transition to an Information Society." Funding was made available for the purchase of equipment at that time, as well.

Initially, the emphasis was on getting computers into senior high schools. The focus was on learning about the computers themselves rather than on their use to study other subjects. Detractors of the Japanese use of computers in education take pleasure in pointing out that most high schools still teach their pupils BASIC ó a programming skill that lost its significance in "the real world" several years ago. Undeniably, there remains an element of this approach to computers in the classroom, but the situation has gradually been changing, with computers now being integrated into elementary schools as well.

The use of personal computers within the framework of the curriculum, however, is still limited to senior high schools and, to a limited extent, junior high schools. At the junior-high-school level, the "Information Technology Basics" course remains an elective. It is only in senior high schools that computers are used in teaching subjects such as math or science.

The amount of ground covered in the junior high "Information Technology Basics" course is limited, since it is just 36 hours over the period of one year. This is the course where BASIC was taught in the past; nowadays, skills such as word processing and spreadsheets are also introduced.

Teachers need to be educated first

What is clear in the process of making more widespread use of computers in schools is the urgent need to impart the relevant skills to the teachers themselves. According to a survey on the use of computers in education, published in September 1994 by the Japan Association for the Promotion of Educational Technology (JAPET), only one in three teachers knows how to use a computer; only one in ten is deemed to be capable of teaching basic computer skills.

It is often charged that Japanese schoolteachers are particularly resistant to new ideas and do not go looking for improvements that might increase their workload. One way that the Ministry of Education hopes to improve the skill level of teachers is through the new Computer Education Center, set up in 1994. This center will rely on the cooperation of Japanese companies to provide the technical personnel needed to hone faculty skills at the local education level.

Ambitious government plans

Because the use of computers within the curriculum is almost non-existent at the elementary level, and elective or limited at the secondary level, this leaves the initiative to educators. The Ministry of Education is aware of this, and much of its recent direction has been focused on moving away from having students simple accumulate information to efforts to have students develop real skills in terms of creativity and critical abilities. The government sees computers as a major tool in this drive. To this end, the number of computers available in public schools will be almost doubled, to 900,000 units, by 1999. A total expenditure of ·430 billion is planned for this purpose.

The government is also providing encouragement for schools to make the best possible use of their equipment by offering financial support for projects to build or refurbish classrooms for use as computer rooms. The government will pay one-third of the cost of doing this (between 1994 and 1999) if the overall expenditure exceeds ·10 million.

Extensive use of networks

One aspect of computer use in schools in Japan that differs from schools in countries like the US is the extensive use of elaborate networks. Depending on who you ask, these networks are used either for two-way communications between students, or to give teachers complete control over what goes on at each terminal. An executive of one leading computer company points out that the passion of the Japanese for disciplined education has resulted in enormous extra expenditures for networks ó money that could have been better used to purchase more computers. Whether one accepts the argument that computer teaching in Japan is regimented, it is clear that schools are much fonder of sophisticated networks in Japan than elsewhere.

In an effort to take this administration infatuation with networks and build it into something more interesting for the students themselves, Apple Japan has been conducting an experiment called "Apple Media Kids." This project consists of linking a number of elementary schools across the country, and offering classes the option of jointly studying subjects like "lifestyle" or "the environment." The schools taking part in this experimental project range from Hokkaido in the far north of Japan to Kyushu in the south. The network system developed by Apple for this purpose is built around an Apple server and offers a great deal of flexibility to meet the needs of individual schools. Use of a FirstClass client/server package provides a full graphic user interface over the network.

NEC plays a major role in education market

There are no reliable figures available for market share of equipment used in schools, but difficulties in penetrating the educational market are regularly raised by foreign companies. It might be expected, therefore, that the current leader in educational-use equipment and software is NEC, also the overall leader in the Japanese PC market.

While NEC does not generally sell directly to schools (except in certain cases where pilot studies are being conducted), it does provide extensive support through its dealer network. The company offers special training courses for teachers and has set up "PC Education Software Laboratories" at 31 locations across Japan, where teachers can come in and try out software before making purchasing decisions. In terms of software availability, NEC's catalog lists over 2,000 packages specifically for educational use.

The recent popularity of multimedia computers is opening the way for further expansion of the computer in the classroom. This is particularly true in elementary schools, where creativity levels are high and children are less bound by the endless rounds of exams that characterize Japanese education. New purchases or leases of computers are being centered on multimedia machines, and more developments are likely to be seen along the lines of NEC's Super Yuki educational system.

Super Yuki, which can be used either on NEC's own 9800 series or on DOS/V or Windows machines, enables students to build databases using text, tables, graphics of all kinds (including moving pictures), and music. A wide variety of creative tools is available, and there are extensive search functions. In addition, extra add-on packages offer other creative and learning options. The Super Yuki interface automatically adjusts to the linguistic ability of the child's grade level once the information is input at the log-on stage, making the system usable throughout the six years of elementary education.

Apple targets both schools and homes

Despite NEC's domination of the educational scene, other manufacturers are working on making headway in this area. Apple has been a leader in computer use in the classroom in many countries (its machines are used in 60% of US schools), and the company is working hard to establish a similar presence in Japan. The company puts particular emphasis on the ease of use of its equipment ó not just for students, but also for teachers whose aim is to quickly put the computers to work as teaching aids rather than having to devote lengthy periods of time to learning how to handle them. Apple offers an extensive catalog of educational software and is obviously able to offer a wide range of English language packages.

Apple is also trying to cultivate the educational market by looking beyond schools ó to the home. Japanese parents are famed for great interest in their children's education, and most children in Japan nowadays benefit from the generosity of several sets of deep pockets (parents and grandparents). With the company having already succeeded in establishing itself as number two (to NEC) in total PC sales, and with prices becoming more and more affordable, appealing to parents' innate desire to give their children the best possible learning tools at home may prove a more successful strategy than trying to break through the morass of bureaucracy.

Do computers and "examination hells" go together ?

There is no doubt that increasing the use of computers in school is now a priority for the Ministry of Education. An added impetus is the fact that personal computer usage in general is being pushed forward by a combination of interesting new multimedia machines and falling prices.

Since one of the government's stated goals is to encourage creativity, there should be plenty of room for innovation. The educational system as a whole, however, remains extremely rigid. As long as the principal goal of nearly every child and parent continues to be successfully passing a series of exams that focus on learning by rote (as the door to move on to the next educational level), there will remain a built-in barrier to making full use of what computers can offer in the classroom.