
Most Japanese Schools Fall Short of English Proficiency Target
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According to a survey conducted by Japan’s Ministry of Education Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, only 47.0% of third-year junior high school students had an English proficiency level at least equivalent to CEFR A-1 level (or Grade 3 of the Eiken Test), while only 46.1% of third-year high school students were proficient in English to a level of at least CEFR A-2 (or Grade Pre-2 of the Eiken Test). The proficiency of the junior-high and high school students rose 3.0 and 2.5 points, respectively, compared to the 2019 survey, but neither reached the government’s benchmark of 50%.
The recent survey, conducted in December 2021, targeted third-year junior-high and high school students nationwide. The survey for fiscal 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A total of 10 prefectures and 10 “designated cities” (with a population exceeding 500,000) cleared the 50% target set by the government for third-year junior high students, with the city of Saitama and Fukui Prefecture ranking the highest, at over 85%. Saga Prefecture ranked the lowest at 31.9%. For third-year high school students, 8 prefectures exceeded the 50% goal: Akita, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Toyama, Fukui, Shizuoka, Hyōgo, and Nara. Meanwhile, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima Prefectures were around the 30% level.
Top 5 Areas for English Proficiency Among Students
Junior High School Students: (designated city/prefecture) |
High School Students: (prefecture) |
---|---|
Saitama, Saitama Prefecture (86.3%) | Fukui Prefecture (59.6%) |
Fukui Prefecture (85.8%) | Toyama Prefecture (59.3%) |
Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture (66.0%) | Shizuoka Prefecture (54.4%) |
Gunma Prefecture (60.9%) | Akita Prefecture (53.7%) |
Ishikawa Prefecture (56.3%) | Hyōgo Prefecture (53.1%) |
Created by Nippon.com based on data from the Ministry of Education Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)