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教育と熱心な親たち
教育と熱心な親たち
東京都文京区の春奈ちゃん殺害事件で
容疑者の動機として
幼稚園受験が話題となった。
筆者も保育園に通う子供を持つ父親だが
日本の親たちの教育熱心さには
驚いているのだが…。
Education and Overzealous Parents
By DAVID ZOPPETTI
As everyone else, I was deeply shocked by the murder of 2-year-old Haruna
Wakayama of Bunkyo Ward in Tokyo at the end of November. I was shocked not
only because an innocent child was killed but because of the motives that
seem to have triggered the tragedy.
As I write these lines still a lot remains uncertain. Mitsuko Yamada, the
35-year old housewife arrested in connection with the murder, reportedly
said she kidnapped Haruna-chan and strangled her in a public toilet. She
confessed to having had a "long and very emotional conflict" with
Haruna's mother. Police believe this might have led her to commit the crime.
Many still suspect kindergarten and primary school exams contributed to the
conflict.
resentment
between parents in relation to school matters are quite common in this
country.
Japan is well-known for the competitiveness of its university entrance exams. But what is commonly referred to as "entrance exam war" is
starting ear
lier and earlier. Whereas parents 10 or 15 years ago were satisfied to enroll
their children in establishments affiliated with prestigious universities at
the high-school level, now many are struggling to get 3-year-olds accepted in
the proper kindergarten.
To me this is mind-boggling. Yes, we definitely do live in a fierce and
highly competitive world. But there is an age for everything in life, and I
feel that the approach to education in Japan is on the verge of getting
totally out of hand.
Many parents seem to be unable to judge the value of their children in
any other way than by comparing them to the "academic" achievements of
others. They also often seem more concerned with their "mentsu"
(reputation) than with the actual quality of the education provided or the
well-being of their offspring.
Many are still lured by the myth that graduating from a prestigious
university is the best — if not only — guarantee of a happy and successful
life. And they are ready to put themselves (and their children) through any
kind of ordeal to ensure that this goal is achieved.
The irony is that usually students work so hard cramming knowledge in
their heads in order to enter university, that by the time they get there,
they spend four years having fun and hardly studying at all.
In my home country of Switzerland, there are no university entrance exams
whatsoever. Anyone who is able to graduate from high school is entitled to
enter any university he or she wishes to.
Entering is easy, but graduating is difficult. The result is that basically
only people who really want to study attend university. There is none of the
excessive competition one finds in Japan, but there still is a high level of
education, and the country is basically functioning well.
Whatever the result of the investigation on the Haruna-chan case
turns out to be, the circumstances surrounding it should be a reminder
that in a real democracy access to education should be a right — not a
battle.
As everyone else, I was deeply shocked by the murder of 2-year-old Haruna
Wakayama of Bunkyo Ward in Tokyo at the end of November. I was shocked not
only because an innocent child was killed but because of the motives that
seem to have triggered the tragedy.
As I write these lines still a lot remains uncertain. Mitsuko Yamada, the
35-year old housewife arrested in connection with the murder, reportedly
said she kidnapped Haruna-chan and strangled her in a public toilet. She
confessed to having had a "long and very emotional conflict" with
Haruna's mother. Police believe this might have led her to commit the crime.
Many still suspect kindergarten and primary school exams contributed to the
conflict.
Still more recognize that feelings of jealousy and
resentment
between parents in relation to school matters are quite common in this
country.
Japan is well-known for the competitiveness of its university entrance exams. But what is commonly referred to as "entrance exam war" is
starting ear
lier and earlier. Whereas parents 10 or 15 years ago were satisfied to enroll
their children in establishments affiliated with prestigious universities at
the high-school level, now many are struggling to get 3-year-olds accepted in
the proper kindergarten.
To me this is mind-boggling. Yes, we definitely do live in a fierce and
highly competitive world. But there is an age for everything in life, and I
feel that the approach to education in Japan is on the verge of getting
totally out of hand.
Many parents seem to be unable to judge the value of their children in
any other way than by comparing them to the "academic" achievements of
others. They also often seem more concerned with their "mentsu"
(reputation) than with the actual quality of the education provided or the
well-being of their offspring.
Many are still lured by the myth that graduating from a prestigious
university is the best — if not only — guarantee of a happy and successful
life. And they are ready to put themselves (and their children) through any
kind of ordeal to ensure that this goal is achieved.
The irony is that usually students work so hard cramming knowledge in
their heads in order to enter university, that by the time they get there,
they spend four years having fun and hardly studying at all.
In my home country of Switzerland, there are no university entrance exams
whatsoever. Anyone who is able to graduate from high school is entitled to
enter any university he or she wishes to.
Entering is easy, but graduating is difficult. The result is that basically
only people who really want to study attend university. There is none of the
excessive competition one finds in Japan, but there still is a high level of
education, and the country is basically functioning well.
Whatever the result of the investigation on the Haruna-chan case
turns out to be, the circumstances surrounding it should be a reminder
that in a real democracy access to education should be a right — not a
battle.
Shukan ST: Jan. 7, 2000
(C) All rights reserved
- murder
- 殺害
- innocent
- 罪のない
- motives
- 動機
- have triggered 〜
- 〜 を引き起こした
- tragedy
- 悲劇
- a lot remains uncertain
- はっきりしていないことが多く残っている
- reportedly
- 伝えられるところでは
- kidnapped
- 誘拐した
- strangled
- 絞殺した
- confessed to having had 〜
- 〜 があったと供述した
- emotional conflict
- 心のぶつかり合い
- commit
- 犯す
- kindergarten and and primary school exams
- 幼稚園と小学校の受験
- contributed to 〜
- 〜 の一因となった
- jealousy
- 嫉妬
- resentment
- 恨み
- school matters
- 学校関連のこと
- quite common
- よくある
- competitiveness
- 競争の激しさ
- entrance exams
- 入試
- what is commonly referred to as 〜
- いわゆる 〜
- enroll 〜 in 〜
- 〜 を 〜 に入学させる
- establishments
- 学校
- affiliated with 〜
- 〜 付属の
- prestigious
- 名門の
- mind-boggling
- あぜんとさせる
- fierce
- 猛烈な
- there is an age for everything in life
- 何事にも適切な年齢というものがある
- on the verge of 〜
- 〜 寸前で
- out of hand
- 手に負えなくなる
- judge
- 判断する
- "academic" achievements
- 学校の成績
- reputation
- 評判
- 〜 provided
- 提供される 〜
- well-being
- 幸福
- offspring
- 子供
- (are)lured by 〜
- 〜 に惑わされている
- myth
- 神話
- guarantee
- 保証となるもの
- ordeal
- 試練
- ensure
- 確実にする
- irony
- 皮肉
- cramming
- 詰め込む
- there are no 〜 whatsoever
- 〜 というものはまったくない
- is entitled to 〜
- 〜 する権利がある
- excessive
- 度を超えた
- (is)functioning well
- うまくいっている
- Whatever 〜 turns out to be
- 〜 がどうであろうと
- result
- 結果
- investigation
- 調査
- circumstances surrounding it
- 事件を取り巻く環境
- reminder
- 思い出させるもの
- access to edcation
- 教育を受けること
- right
- 権利
- battle
- 戦い