Differences between education in Japan and the Western world

Sushi Tech Tokyo

When you were in high school, did you ever create something with your own hands and take on the world?

When I was in the third year of junior high school, I was asked to join a team from Fukui to take part in F1 in Schools (then called STEM Racing), an international competition in which elementary, junior high, and high school students from around the world compete against each other in terms of speed and creativity with homemade miniature F1 cars. I got the opportunity to compete in the world championships.

What I saw on that stage were a number of scenes that were beyond common sense.

• A team of junior and senior high school students raised about 10 million yen from sponsors

• A team of elementary school students beat junior and senior high school students to win the national tournament

• A team launches their own F1 car into space as a public relations effort

• A team put up a giant billboard along the highway

• The team that aired ads in movie theaters

• The team was using a university wind tunnel for research purposes.

Through these experiences, I began to think about what the differences are between the world and Japan.

First, let me introduce myself.

My name is Rona Sando and I am a second year student at Hiroo Gakuen High School. I am currently working as a project manager for the high school team "CHANGE HOLDINGS Hayabusa Racing" that is participating in the F1 in Schools. I grew up in Canada until I was three years old, then went to an international school until I graduated from elementary school, and passed the junior high school entrance exam to enter my current school.

If I had to sum up the "difference with the rest of the world" that I felt in one word, it would be the "degree of independence."

In Japan, a team of high school students like us is rare, so we are often told, "It's amazing that you've come this far without the help of adults." However, when we participated in the world championships, we realized that this is not something special. Many teams overseas are run as school club activities or are completely student-led, and this is a natural part of the culture.

For example, in Japan, there are many clubs that students can join, such as soccer and physics clubs. I myself belong to the soccer club at my school and serve as captain. However, there is a crucial difference. That is who runs the organization. In Japan, in many cases, the advisor teacher manages the schedule and makes decisions. On the other hand, in overseas teams, the students themselves are responsible for everything from budget management to planning activities.

I think one of the factors that creates this difference is the "freedom in education." As someone who has experienced both an international school and a Japanese school, the difference is very clear to me. At an international school, there are many opportunities to express your own ideas and make presentations, and there is a culture of independent learning. Students are expected to not only complete the tasks given to them, but also to act based on their own interests and goals.

I believe that these differences in education are directly linked to students' independence and spirit of adventure, and ultimately to their ability to compete on the world stage.