Japan Aims to Increase Students Skilled in English

Tokyo, March 8 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese government panel Wednesday released a target of increasing junior high school students reaching an English proficiency level equivalent to grade 3 in the Eiken tests or higher at graduation.

The target of boosting the share of such students to at least 60 pct over five years was set out by the Central Council for Education, which advises the education minister, in a five-year education promotion basic plan from fiscal 2023.

The plan also includes a target of raising the share of senior high school students with English skills equivalent to pre-2 grade in the Eiken tests or higher at graduation to at least 60 pct.

The new basic plan will be endorsed at a cabinet meeting early in fiscal 2023 from April.

The current targets in the existing five-year plan through fiscal 2022 are raising the shares to at least 50 pct for both junior and senior high school students.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]