South China Morning Post (August 3)
“Plummeting scores in English-language tests among Japanese lower secondary school students have triggered concern that future generations will be unable to communicate in the world’s lingua franca. In nationwide tests conducted in April, just 12.4 per cent of 15-year-olds were able to reply correctly to five spoken questions in English.”
Tags: Communicate, Concern, English, Future generations, Japan, Language, Plummeting, School, Scores, Students, Tests
Atlanta Journal Constitution (December 2)
“Teachers and students will have extra homework after the pandemic ends, as new findings show growth in math scores has fallen since last school year.” Reading may be “more or less intact” as parents are better able to assist at home during distance learning. Math however, is “suffering, with the worst performance at the elementary school level.” Since math is “taught in a sequential way, with concepts building upon concepts,” this weakened foundation could “undermine learning for years to come.”
Tags: Distance learning, Elementary, Foundation, Homework, Math, Pandemic, Performance, Reading, Scores, Students, Teachers, Undermine
Time (August 23)
It is shocking “that more than 65% of Japanese medical doctors who responded to a survey said reducing the entrance exam scores for women is unavoidable, since the extreme working hours make it impossible for female doctors to work full time while taking care of their children. Japanese society still sees household chores and childcare as the main responsibility of women, whether or not they are in paid employment.”
Tags: Children, Doctors, Employment, Exam, Full-time, Household, Japan, Scores, Survey, Women, Working hours
