Figure 1.--here we see children in a Japanese family we think in the early-1920s. The two boys wear their schoolmuniforms. Notice the older brother still wears a kimono. We are less sure about the girls. They may or may not be wearing a school uniform, but the outfit is a Western style.

The Goverment continued to expand the school system. The enrollment rates in elementary continued to increase and beghuins to include almost all of the school-age population. We see very substantial numbers of girls in the primary schools as well as more children from the poorer classes. [Okado, p. 234.] Secondary enrollmennts werealso increasing. Along with this we see a very significant change toward wearing Western styles at school. This was acompnied by a general trend toward Western-styled clothing for children in general, particularly noticeable in the cities. Over 10 percent of males and 5 percent of girls (1915). [Aramaki, p. 16.] Enrollment in the vocational schools exceeded 1 million students (1923). This was an option after primary school. Mostly boys attended these schools, but by thus time neraly 30 percenbt were girls. [Takano] Some 2 percent of male students and a minimal number of female students went on to post-secondary education (by 1915). [Aramaki, p. 16.] The percentage of male students was not out of line with Western numbers, but the girls numbers were still very low. The College Ordinance of 1918, the status of 'university' was granted to many other national, prefectural, municipal, and private professional educational institutions. These schools were able to gain the prestigious university status if they added preparatory courses for secondary education. [(Osaki, pp. 36-37.] Options for higher education continued to expand and more and more students were taking advantage of these opportunities. One option was 3-year professional schools. There were 3-year preparatory high schools and three-year colleges. Another option was 3-year preparatory high schools and 3-4 year Imperial universities. As by the 1930s, the Japanese enrollment rate in higher education had risen to about 6 percent for males and about 1 percent for women. [Aramaki, p. 17.] There were progressive educators advocating child-centered education for middle class children. Thus was modtly in the cities. [Okado. pp. 144-55.]

Sources

Aramaki, Sōhei. 2000. “Kyōiku Kikai no Kakusa wa Shukushō Shitaka: Kyōikukankyō no Henka to Shusshin Kaisōkan Kakusa” in Hiroyuki Kondō, ed. Sengo Nihon no Kyōiku Shakai (Tokyo: Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai, 2000), pp. 15-35.

Okado, Masakatsu. Minshū no Kyōiku Keiken (Tokyo: Aoki Shoten, 2000).

Osaki, Hiroshi. Daigaku Kaikaku 1945-1999 (Tokyo: Yūhikaku, 1999).

Takano, Yoshihiro. Seinen Gakkōshi (Tokyo: Sanichi Shobō: 1992).

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Last updated: 7:02 AM 2/3/2021