Yes, that's the common phenomena that we' ll find over the world, especially in Japan which somehow more terrible than other countries.
Two weeks ago, I got a lecture from the Dean of School of Education in Nagoya University, Prof. Murakami. He is a nice person, consistently making research in psychometry, the issue which study about relationship between psychology and statistic. He is also one of the member of Entrance Exam selection Beaureu in that University. At that time we discussed about the entrance exam system in Japan.
Murakami said, that there are 2 kinds of entrance exam for SHS students who want to enroll the national university (kokuritsu daigaku). First, they have to take National Entrance Exam organized by Ministry of Education (MOE), then if they get the good score, they can choose the appropriate university in which they have to take the second exam
.The difficulty of the exam depends on the level of the university. The best 5 universities now in Japan respectively are, Tokyo Uni, Kyoto Uni, Tohoku Uni, Osaka Uni, and Nagoya Uni. If student get an excellent score in the first exam he/she have a chance to apply any univeristies whatever he wants, but if in average one, then it's quiet difficult to decide which university he should enroll.
The result (seisiki) of the exam isn't announced but MOE will release the correct answer through mass media where student himself have to check his work then decide which university they want to enroll. This system is such a problem for students also, because most of them can not predict accurately which university can accept them.
For gaining the excellent score in the exam, students have to go to cram school (juku) which cost a lot and not all students can attend it. Juku provide a quick method to solve the problem during the exam, which are not taught at school. Students need to memorize those methods without necessary to understand how to get the formula.
What actually the problem is and how to manage it ?
There are three stakehoulder regarding the entrance exam issue, namely Senior High School, University and Juku as well. MOE should involved but it's better to put it outside the triangle stakeholders since it's duty as a control of education system.
SHS surely provide the education as a continuity of the previous schools level, Junior High and Primary. There're simultant, systematic and complete curriculum which aim to prepare its graduates for enter the university or to be ready as the member of society.
University is a higher education level which prepare students with the specific capability, knowledge, science and skill to get a job and be the agent of development. In that mission, university looks like a factory which produce workers to fulfill the business sector demand.
There should be a link and continuty of studying between SHS and University, but in fact the environment, circumstance, learning content is totally diferrent. There's a big gap between them.
The standard of worker (graduated student) that society/business set up is too high and not easy to meet. University have to endeavour to meet that by formulating the appropriate curricullum.
Since Higher Education have an autonomy to set up their education system, and MOE doesn`t have authority to interfence, it`s quiet difficult to deal with the standard of higher education just based on the secondary education curriculum.
It means we have to reform the education system both in secondary and higher, in order to create smooth continuity process in education.
Nagoya, November, 2005