Japan principal uses private sector skill at school

TOKYO, Dec 17: Knotty questions such as ''Is it ok to clone humans?'' or ''What do theme parks and religion have in common?'' are unlikely to be on Rina Kinjo's test paper when she sits for high school entrance exams a few months from now.

But Kinjo, one of some 80 Japanese students taking part in an innovative social studies class at Wada Junior High in Tokyo, says she doesn't find discussing such matters a waste of time.

''If you think just on your own, you can only think one way, but if you hear other people's views, it's really interesting,'' Kinjo said during a break in a 90-minute session of the course.

''It's better than studying for entrance exams,'' added Kinjo, who, like most of her 15-year-old classmates, is already cramming for tests next spring to get into the high school of her choice.

The class, which tackles topics from sex-change operations and cloning to currency exchange rates and corporate profits, is the brain-child of Kazuhiro Fujihara, Tokyo's first principal to parachute into a state-run middle school from the private sector.

Mr Fujihara's hands-on experiment coincides with a debate on how to fix Japan's schools, where critics see a raft of problems such as bullying, falling academic standards and a lack of discipline.

''I'm taking up issues that have been taboo in the schools,'' said the slender, fast-talking Fujihara, a former employee of publishing firm Recruit Co who took on his post three years ago.

''I'm trying to teach about things that matter in real life.'' Guest speakers have included a transvestite and business executives. A session on ''Are the homeless society's trash?'' next month will feature an interview with a homeless person.

Students have also participated in projects such as figuring out how to run a hamburger shop and turn a profit.

''MATTER OF MANAGEMENT''

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who thinks what Japan's schools need is an injection of patriotism, on Friday achieved one of his top policy priorities when parliament enacted revisions to a US-drafted, 1947 education law to make nurturing love of country and respect for tradition an educational goal.

Japan principal uses private sector skill at school Opponents of the changes see disturbing echoes of the militarist teaching that underpinned Japan's aggression in Asia before and during World War Two. They also argue the changes will do little to fix educational ills. Mr Fujihara agrees Japan's education system -- often criticised for emphasising rote learning to pass exams at the expense of creative thinking -- is in need of improvement.

''Twentieth-century Japan was a growth society in which there was only one 'right answer','' Mr Fujihara, 51, told Reuters as he wolfed down lunch in his office, where photos of his 15 predecessors stare down sternly from the wall.

''But Japan has become a mature society, and everyone is acting according to different value systems,'' he said. ''In a mature society, there is almost no 'right answer' and what is needed is an ability to persuade oneself and others. Such education is not taking place in Japan.'' But Mr Fujihara, who has testified before a government panel on revitalising education, says a dose of private-sector expertise would do more than changing laws to cure what ails the schools.

''Schools have many problems, but that isn't because there is something wrong with the law or the system or curriculum,'' he said. ''Its a matter of management.''

MEDIA STAR

Mr Fujihara has become something of a Japanese media star in his current job, and TV cameras are no novelty at his class sessions.

His innovative approach and flair for PR have helped to double enrolment at the school, as parents in nearby districts opt for Wada over their local schools.

Mr Fujihara argues more competition would boost quality and help sort out which schools should be closed, a necessary step given Japan's falling birth rate and dwindling student population.

Some experts, though, worry free market style competition would widen gaps in an education system that currently sees more than 90 per cent of the population graduate from high school.

Wada Junior High students should at least feel comfortable with the sort of debate their elders are conducting on education.

''You can say your own opinion clearly, so it's really fun,'' said one 15-year-old girl, wearing a traditional navy-blue school uniform with a sailor collar.

Not all parents, however, are enthused.

''There are more than a few parents who say that it's okay to try new things, but they'd prefer he acted more like a regular principal,'' said Fumiyoshi Kadowaki, a Tokyo city assemblyman from the area. ''That always happens when you try something new.''

REUTERS