Page:Japan by the Japanese (1904).djvu/267

charge of primary education; the administrator of the second class is the head of the ‘gun,’ or county, who supervises the educational affairs of towns and villages; the head of the highest is the local Governor, who controls both the primary and secondary education within his jurisdiction, under the supervision of the Minister of State for the Education Department.

Primary schools are designed to give children the rudiments of moral education, and of education specially adapted to render them good members of the community, together with such general knowledge and skill as are necessary for daily life, due attention being paid to their physical development.

Primary schools are divided into ordinary primary schools and higher primary schools. An ordinary primary course and a higher primary course may be established conjointly in one and the same school. The ordinary primary course extends over four years, and the higher primary course over two, three or four years. A supplementary course, extending over not more than two years, may also be arranged in order to give such instruction as is suitable to local requirements.

The subjects of study in ordinary primary schools include morals, the Japanese language, arithmetic, and gymnastics. According to local circumstances, one or more subjects, such as drawing, singing, or manual work, may be added, and, for females, sewing.

The subjects of study in higher primary schools include morals, the Japanese language, arithmetic, Japanese history, geography, sciences, drawing, singing, and gymnastics, and, for females, sewing. In addition, agriculture, commerce, and manual work, may be included for boys, as well as the English language.

A point worthy of special attention is that the moral lessons taught in primary schools are not founded upon any religious doctrine, but are purely secular. In future the text-books for use in primary schools shall, as a general rule, be those for which copyright is reserved by the Department of Education.

The number of classes in a primary school must not be more than twelve; the number of children in one class, not more than seventy in the case of ordinary primary schools, and not more than sixty in the case of higher primary schools.

Children must have completed their sixth year on entering a primary school, and be fully fourteen before leaving, thus allowing the full school term to be eight years. The guardians of children of school age are under the obligation of sending them to school to complete at least the ordinary primary school course. At present, of the school population, more than 90 per cent. are receiving the prescribed course of instruction. And though the education in the higher primary schools