In Ken Robinson’s speech, he argued that the present education system in England and America robs children of their creativity. The education stresses rote learning and practical subjects like English and Mathematics. An ideal person in the education is a professor. This system doesn’t include a training to create something new and this deprives human beings of an only means to develop our society, “creativity”. I think his opinion is right to the point and the same problem exists in Japanese education system. However, Japanese education system is much worse than the ones in the West, and should be improved as soon as possible. I pick up 3 bad points of it.

 

First, rote learning is stressed in studying all subjects in Japan. In English class, every student repeat the same sentence loudly many times and doesn’t learn how to reply to a greeting. In mathematics, students only learn formulas by their hearts and apply them to questions. And, surprisingly, actual technique classes like physical education and music class put the importance on exams. In contrast, art classes that stimulate children’s creativity are few. Students are absorbed in rote learning and preparation for exams, so there is no room for creativity.

 

Second, students have to devote most of their school life to preparation for entrance exams. In Japan, to get a stable and high-salary job, entering universities keeping high deviation value is necessity. A lot of parents make their children go to cram schools and students have to struggle with much homework. Thus, they don’t have much time to enjoy classes in school, especially actual technique classes. At Keio University, a lot of my friends used to go to cram schools and had studied hard since they were elementary school students.

 

Third, in Japanese education, classes that teach students how to live are few. In a curriculum of compulsory education and public high schools, classes of home economics are sometimes done. However, most of the private schools, a lot of classes aim at entrance exams and students can’t learn how to cook, wash clothes and do needlework. Therefore, a lot of students can’t do any housework. Of course, I’m not good at housework. I took lessons of home economics in elementary school, but those classes are much less than classes of subjects used in entrance exams. These days, people say it is good for husbands to do housework. However, if this situation in home economics class continues, husbands can’t do any domestic chores.

 

Considering these 3 points, I think that all schools of compulsory education in Japan should be public and, in this 9 years classes that stimulate creativity and teaches how to live should be placed the importance on. In all public schools under the same curriculum, students take creative classes. For example, creative dance class in physical education and drawing pictures under a free theme in art class. In addition, home economics become a big part of the curriculum so that every student can live by himself. These curriculum cultivate children’s creativity and an ability to live.

 

As Robinson said, creativity is necessity for development of human beings. Only the weapon human beings have is creativity, so we will die if creativity dies. Therefore, to cultivate creativity is urgent business for us. To take the first step, we have to change Japanese education.