ENGLISH will soon be part of the compulsory curriculum for Japan's public elementary schools. Although currently an increasing number of pupils have English activities, some schools still have to prepare to start from scratch, Asahi Shimbun has reported.
Beginning in 2011, there will be one compulsory English class a week for fifth- and sixth-graders, according to a previous curriculum guideline revision. At present, schools are busy preparing for 2011.
Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, is especially active in this regard. Since 2000, elementary schools in the ward have been experimenting with English instruction. The ward's education policy calls for 15 English classes a year in the lower elementary school grades, 25 classes in the middle grades, and 35 in the upper ones. The younger children pick up natural English pronunciation and rhythms through songs and games while upper-form children focus on actual communication.
However, according to a recent survey by Obunsha, a Tokyo-based educational publisher, 52.5 percent of elementary schools still feel a little uneasy about the introduction of English.
"We're just starting now to prepare for English becoming compulsory in elementary schools," says Wataru Sugiura, principal of Hachioji Daisan Elementary School in Tokyo. In view of the fact that most Hachioji Daisan Elementary graduates move on to nearby Dairoku Junior High, Sugiura has invited teachers from Dairoku to visit Daisan Elementary and teach sixth-graders English on a trial basis. On each visit the teacher is accompanied by five or six junior high school student volunteers acting as assistants.
But strengthening links with local junior high schools is far from being the answer. Because of budget problems, the 70 elementary schools in Hachioji have few assistant language teachers and comparatively little English instruction. So the Hachioji municipal school board is planning to have assistant language teachers teaching fifth- and sixth-graders at all 70 elementary schools, starting in the 2009 school year.
