In Japanese schools, English begins to be taught in elementary school. In 2021, the Ministry of Education of Japan issued a document that obliges students to learn up to 1800 English words in 6 years of study - this is three times more than the norm that was before.
Compulsory English appeared in primary schools in 2020 - before that, it was possible to study other languages. Students are taught through games and songs, but this approach does not contribute to the in-depth study of a foreign language, and many students have to go to tutors to fill in the gaps in knowledge. According to the pedagogical community, because of this, children have a huge workload, which is difficult for them to cope with. If they had difficulty learning 800 English words in six years, then 1800 is a difficult task, especially since many children, when they come to the first grade, do not even know the alphabet!
In secondary school, students have a double workload, because there they begin an in-depth study of English: many dream of going abroad, and for this you need to pass international exams, which require serious preparation. Not only do they spend hours in libraries, but they also have to take courses at language schools.
On the one hand, knowledge of English opens the door to good colleges and universities. But many believe that shifting the focus to this language will prevent schoolchildren from mastering other important subjects, they will not be able to fully delve into those subjects that are interesting to them. Moreover, many students will not need English in the future! At least, this is the opinion of the heads of some educational institutions, who discourage students from learning English.
In general, the innovation was coldly received by everyone - students, parents, school administrations and teachers. No one sees the point in schoolchildren having a perfect command of English. Whether the new rule will lead to big changes is unknown.
