International students in Japan feel neglected even in the largest and most preferred education hubs in the world, evidenced by a rising trend in dropouts. International students in Japan are facing a lot of trouble and since no one is paying heed to their problems, students and parents are more worried than ever.
More than 20,000 international students in Japan of elementary and junior high school age can’t even get access to education in the country. There are almost 120,000 foreign students across the country of the same age group. One in every six foreign nationality student doesn’t have access to education.
Education boards of Japan found these results when they conducted their surveys throughout the nation. However, the school and the board have been unable to identify the roots of the problem.
The problem might be the government’s cold attitude when it comes to the education of foreign students in the country. Now that the report is out in the public, municipal corporations have started working with the schools and parents to rectify the problem.
Another major problem is, whenever there is any issue or any notice is sent to parents, as important as the admission letter of the student, the authorities send it in Japanese. Everyone knows language is a huge barrier in Japanese education and authorities should at least consider to send it English as well.
Support for international students in Japan
It doesn’t matter where a child comes from. He or she has the right to education. If there’s any problem with education, the government should seek ways to improve the standards.
The education board, on the other hand, feel that they are massively short-staffed. They don’t have special educators, translators, interpreters. Despite all this, they have tried to coordinate with parents of such students.
International students in Japan have also seen a rise in the dropouts. Students unable to cope with the language and the speed of the curriculum eventually drop out to find odd jobs or sit idle. If the government can assure a proper set of laws for foreign nationals education, this impacts positively on the society and the nation’s economy.
