Today we visited the University of Tokyo Primary School, a Secondary Education School attached to the Faculty of Education for the University of Tokyo. Taking off our shoes and slipping into the school slippers was becoming a familiar ritual for us. This was our third school visit in Japan. The institution is a national secondary education school with integrated six-year curriculum. The school works collaboratively with the University of Tokyo. The Principal teaches at the University of Tokyo and attends to school responsibilities three days a week. The rest of the weekdays are managed by the Vice Principal.

The philosophy of the school is to allow students to find what they want in life, what they want to do for themselves, go to college and enjoy life.

We visited several classes. I found teachers and students enthusiastic and happy. Teachers used very interactive techniques and topics were interesting and related to everyday life. We had lunch and Q & A with the teachers.

In my opinion, the Japanese education system is about 5-10 years behind compared to the U.S, however, their corporate technology and efficiency is way ahead. Go figure!!!