Sunday, Nov. 12, 2006

READERS IN COUNCIL

By PETER MILWARD

Tokyo

The Nov. 1 editorial, "Entrance exam blow-back," blows my memory back to the successive stages by which the education ministry imposed limits on the time allowed for high school teachers in Japan to prepare their students for the difficult entrance examinations held at universities.

No doubt the ministry had its own reasons for imposing such limits, but one can well sympathize with the principals and teachers of public schools throughout the country who have found themselves in a bind between two seemingly contradictory requirements: that of observing the guidelines of the ministry and that of preparing their students for the entrance examinations and thereby maintaining the reputation of their school. For them it was a proverbial case of choosing (as we say) "between the devil and the deep blue sea."

It seems to me, therefore, that in dealing with this problem we ought to consider both sides -- not only that of the government but also that of the poor teachers.

The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.

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