The development of education in Japan since the Meiji Era (1868-1912) will be analysed here in close relation to her economic development. The modern school system was inaugurated in the early years of the Meiji Era. Meiji, the most prominent Emperor in Japan’s history, issued a Royal Order on 30th October 1890, the twenty-third anniversary of his rule of Japan. The brief of this royal order runs as follows:
“Our Imperial Ancestors have founded Our Empire on a basis broad and everlasting and have deeply and firmly implanted virtue; our subjects ever united in loyalty and filial piety have from generation to generation illustrated the beauty thereof. This is the
154 U Saw, Japan Lan Nyunt, p.168
155 Thuriya Newspaper, 17 July 1935
glory of the fundamental character of Our Empire, and herein also lies the source of our education.
Our subjects, be filial to your parents, affectionate to your brothers and sisters; as husbands and wives be harmonious, as friends true; bear yourselves in modesty and moderation; extend your benevolence to all; pursue learning and cultivate arts, and thereby develop intellectual faculties and perfect moral powers; furthermore advance public good and promote common interests; always respect the Constitution and observe the laws; should emergency arise, offer yourselves courageously to the State;
and thus guard and maintain the prosperity of Our Imperial Throne coeval with heaven and earth.
So shall ye not only be our good and faithful subjects, but render illustrious the best traditions of your forefathers. The Way here set forth is indeed the teaching bequeathed by Our Imperial Ancestors, to be observed alike by Their Descendants and the subjects, infallible for all ages and true in all places. It is our wish to lay it to heart in all reverence, in common with you, our subjects, that we may thus attain to the same virtue”. 156
朕󠄁惟フニ我カ皇祖皇宗國ヲ肇󠄁ムルコト宏遠󠄁ニ德ヲ樹ツルコト深厚ナリ我カ臣民克ク忠ニ克ク 孝ニ億兆心ヲ一ニシテ世世厥ノ美ヲ濟セルハ此レ我カ國體ノ精華ニシテ敎育ノ淵源亦實ニ此 ニ存ス爾臣民父母ニ孝ニ兄弟ニ友ニ夫婦󠄁相和シ朋友相信シ恭儉己レヲ持シ博󠄁愛衆ニ及󠄁ホシ學 ヲ修メ業ヲ習󠄁ヒ以テ智能ヲ啓󠄁發シ德器󠄁ヲ成就シ進󠄁テ公󠄁益󠄁ヲ廣メ世務ヲ開キ常ニ國憲ヲ重シ國 法ニ遵󠄁ヒ一旦緩󠄁急󠄁アレハ義勇󠄁公󠄁ニ奉シ以テ天壤無窮󠄁ノ皇運󠄁ヲ扶翼󠄂スヘシ是ノ如キハ獨リ朕󠄁カ 忠良ノ臣民タルノミナラス又󠄂以テ爾祖󠄁先ノ遺󠄁風ヲ顯彰スルニ足ラン斯ノ道󠄁ハ實ニ我カ皇祖皇 宗ノ遺󠄁訓ニシテ子孫臣民ノ俱ニ遵󠄁守スヘキ所󠄁之ヲ古今ニ通󠄁シテ謬ラス之ヲ中外ニ施シテ悖ラ ス朕󠄁爾臣民ト俱ニ拳󠄁々服󠄁膺シテ咸其德ヲ一ニセンコトヲ庶󠄂幾󠄁フ
明治二十三年十月三十日
156 U Saw, Japan Lan Nyunt, p. 202
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%95%99%E8%82%B2%E3%83%8B%E9%96%A2%E3%82%B9
%E3%83%AB%E5%8B%85%E8%AA%9E (13.4.2020)
The Emperor himself donated land for many schools in Tokyo, provided the school buildings, and funded their establishment. U Saw studied a school building donated by the Emperor for the teaching of history at Waseda University. Other than this donation, it received no state support. 157
In 1886, the modern elementary school system started as compulsory education. Until 1947, only elementary schools were compulsory. Immediately before and during the Second World War, state education was used as a propaganda tool by the Japanese fascist government.158 In the Japanese education system, primary education was compulsory between the ages of six and fourteen, and was supported by the government. Every child above the age of six was supported by the government in order to continue their education, and so the number of educated persons rose. There were 25,665 primary schools, and a total of 10,382,590 students in primary education. Universities and colleges were not accounted for in these statistics. There were 160,004 male and 73,858 female primary school teachers, totalling 233,862. Headmasters received an average salary of 160 yen, and other teaching staff an average of 76 yen. All teaching staff gained the right to a pension after retirement. 159 The Japanese government allocated a budget of 650 million yen for education spending. Of this, 15 million yen were provided by the central government, and the rest by the municipality.
Therefore, three fifth of national revenues were used for the primary education sector. 160 In primary schools in Japan, reading, mathematics, Japanese history, geography, chemistry, electrics, painting, singing, and physical exercise were taught. Sewing and knitting were also taught for girls. In chemistry, not only theory but practical exercises were taught from childhood. When U Saw studied these primary schools, he found that stones, various
157 U Saw, Japan Lan Nyunt, p. 202
158 Japan’s Growth and Education 1963, Ministry of Education July 1963
159 U Saw, Japan Lan Nyunt, p. 195
160 Thuriya Newspaper, 22 July 1935
kinds of iron, saltpetre, alum, ammonium nitrate, paddy, peas, gourd, pumpkin, radish plants, various flowers, and birds were used as teaching aids for practical purposes. Moreover, the practical elements of electrical technology were also taught from a young age. 161
Moreover, children were trained to practice reading newspapers from childhood. All teachers placed a suitable newspaper on the class notice board, with a particular focus on military news, exploration and adventure, and honouring national heroes. 162 In Myanmar, although newspapers were placed at some schools, it was not organised systematically. 163 It was concluded that it was necessary to emulate the Japanese state-funded compulsory primary education system in Myanmar. This, it was hoped, would help cultivate the virtues of moral behaviour and national patriotism. 164
Figure - 12. Chiyoda Elementary school in Tokyo (Photo courtesy by Thuriya Newspaper, 22 July 1935)
161 Thuriya Newspaper, 22 July 1935
162 ibid
163 U Saw, Japan Lan Nyunt, p. 198
164 ibid, p. 200
In Japan, 1,800,000 students finished their primary education and among them, ten percent of male students and six percent of female students continued their middle school education. The rest of the students joined the workforce. Therefore, very few students continued their education into high school. It was not necessary for blue-collar workers or soldiers to complete high school education. Females in particular were less expected to continue their education, and many found work in suitable government departments after primary education.
U Saw visited the Kyoritsu Women’s Educational Institution in Tokyo, which was donated by a woman named Maydin Hatoyama. It provided education for 2,000 female students at a time. 165 Education focused on the virtues of moral character, and taught household chores and the skills necessary to serve as an assistant. In particular, women were trained to become virtuous spouses, to respect their parents, to raise children in the appropriate manner, and encouraged to develop patriotic beliefs. 166