UNIDO Conference on Fostering Entrepreneurial Youth Entrepreneurship Education in Elementary and Secondary Schools of Japan 11 November 2014 Hiroko UENO Policy Analyst /
Situation of Entrepreneurship Education in Elementary and Secondary Schools of Japan Has never been an official school subject Has never been implemented by the Ministry of Education Initiated by the Ministry of Economy Implemented utilizing hours for comprehensive studies and other subjects Mobilized private education sector Currently, no official entrepreneurship education in schools Some forward-looking schools/teachers practicing But the Government is considering introducing it as a Restart in April 2015 (maybe) 1 /10
Has never been an official school subject Entrepreneurship Education has never been an official school subject in Japan Never implemented by the Ministry of Education The Japanese Ministry of Education is promoting Career Education (introduced after Entrepreneurship Education started and still continuing) Career Education Aim : educate children in cultivating the ability to proactively select and decide career paths Content : experience in the workplace 2 /10
Entrepreneurship Education in Japan was initiated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 1999 Some forward-looking schools/teachers then already practicing Also some private educational firms/non-profit organizations practicing outside of school (after-school, summer camp, etc.) Influenced by entrepreneurship education overseas (esp. Finland, Scotland and U.S.) 3 /10
What the Ministry of Economy did by entrusting us -1 Benchmarking study on: schools/teachers practicing entrepreneurship education in Japan private educational firms/non-profit organizations in Japan practicing entrepreneurship education outside of school entrepreneurship education overseas 4 /10
What the Ministry of Economy did by entrusting us -2 Developed a model Entrepreneurship Curriculum Which the teachers can modify freely Which consists of several sessions that teachers can select according to the amount of his/her own allowed time Because entrepreneurship education was/is not an official subject, had to utilize hours for comprehensive studies and other subjects Developed a guide to introduce & implement Entrepreneurship Education 5 /10
What the Ministry of Economy did by entrusting us -3 Provided an information platform where teachers, private educational firms / non-profit organizations can exchange experiences and find experts Held contest with prize To give teachers / students a goal to aim for For public relations to generate social interest through mass media 6 /10
Other initiatives taken by the Ministry of Economy -1 Mobilized private education sector on a mass scale Ministry of Economy funded educational firms / non-profit organizations to give entrepreneurship classes at school Educational firms / non-profit organizations together with schools applied for funding Pros: Entrepreneurship education widely implemented in a short period of time Schools can introduce know-how without cost 7 /10
Other initiatives taken by the Ministry of Economy -2 Mobilized private education sector on a mass scale Cons: Schools / teachers were passive So when the Ministry of Economy terminated the initiatives Most schools quit entrepreneurship education 8 /10
Currently, no official Entrepreneurship Education in schools in Japan Some forward-looking schools/teachers practicing (as before) But now there is a sign of shift in policy: Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Education working together in preparation for Restart of Entrepreneurship Education (maybe in April 2015) 9 /10
Thank you all for listening. Please note that this presentation is my private remark, not the Japanese government s official view. Hiroko UENO, Ms. Senior Policy Analyst Center for Strategic Planning Economic & Social Policy Department Policy Research & Consulting Division Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co., Ltd. 5-11-2, Toranomon, Minato-ku, TOKYO, 105-8501, JAPAN Phone: +81-3-6733-1021 FAX: +81-3-6733-1028 e-mail: ueno@murc.jp http://www.murc.jp/ 10 /10