This paper scrutinizes decentralization of education with reference to some countries around the world. We consider discussion on decentralization to be complex, critical and broad question in the contemporary education planning, administration and politics of education reforms. Even though the debate on and implementation of decentralization…

The conditions required for a reform of the educational finance system as the foundation of compulsory education are 1) devolution to schools and introduction of national standards in order to deal with "individual equality" while compensating for the insufficiency of "aspectual equality," and 2) dealing with educational needs…

This policy profile on education in Japan is part of the "Education Policy Outlook" series, which presents comparative analysis of education policies and reforms across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Building on the OECD's substantial comparative and sectorial policy knowledge base, the…

This paper suggests that as university missions have adapted to accommodate major developments associated with, for instance, mass higher education and internationalisation agendas, university workforces have diversified. They now, for instance, incorporate practitioners in areas such as health and social care, and professional staff who support…

Interacting with school leaders from different countries on overseas study missions can yield practical payoffs. In this article, eight school system leaders describe one valuable practice they observed on their recent trips to sundry spots across the globe. As some educators discover, it helps them better appreciate their own public schools,…

The rapid development of higher education in the postwar period has given rise to various problems, and higher education studies in Japan have developed in response to them. What have been the major issues, and how did academic research respond to them, in postwar Japan? This article delineates an outline of higher education studies in general,…

This article investigates the changing state-university relations in Japan and Malaysia. Its main objective is to identify and examine possible lessons for Malaysia, based on the Japanese experience. Notably, since the late 1970s, Malaysia has been looking towards Japan as a model for socio-economic development (the "look-east" Policy)…

Education reforms during the Allied Occupation of Japan (1945-1952) have traditionally been perceived as having been strongly shaped by U.S. American influence. The occupation bureaucracy, as the dominant element of a triangle of power together with the Ministry of Education and the Japanese Education Reform Committee, has been seen as the main…

Volume II of the Biennial Survey of Education, 1916-1918 includes the following chapters: (1) Education in Great Britain and Ireland (I. L. Kandel); (2) Education in parts of the British Empire: Educational Developments in the Dominion of Canada (Walter A. Montgomery), Public School System of Jamaica (Charles A. Asbury), Recent Progress of…

This paper presents a portrait of the higher education system in Japan. After providing demographic information about Japan, the document outlines the overall educational structure through brief statements about kindergarten education, compulsory education, the elementary school, the lower secondary school, upper secondary education, curriculum,…

The purpose of this study is to present a profile of the Japanese educational system by comparing and contrasting it with the U.S. system. This profile provides the educational and social contexts within which the two educational systems function, so that the differences in standards and outcomes may be understood better and replicated. The…

This synthesis of reports from authors representing seven different countries discusses computerization as it applies to the management and evaluation of the educational process at all levels in developed countries. Focusing on the computerization of educational administration, the first of three sections of the paper suggests that advantages of…

Early childhood education in Japan, which consists of non-compulsory kindergarten and day nurseries, focuses on social studies by encouraging young children to develop sound minds and bodies. Although play is considered an important element, kindergarten is at times characterized by the stress associated with the rigid competition of entrance…

Tables, charts, and graphs convey supporting data that accompany text on various aspects of the Japanese educational system presented in this booklet. There are seven chapters: (1) Fundamental principles of education; (2) Organization of the educational system; (3) Basic statistics of education; (4) Curricula, textbooks, and instructional aids;…

This case study was prepared in conjunction with a Unesco survey of its member states concerning educational services for individuals with handicaps. The case study of Japan focuses on: (1) special education policy; (2) legislation, administration, and organization; (3) special education and vocational education provisions for students with…