A test of spoken English is to be introduced as part of the entrance exam for Japan’s prestigious national high schools in the Tokyo prefecture, despite opposition from both parents and university professors, according to The Japan Times.
The test, which will account for just 20 of the 1,000 total point scale in the entrance test, will be set jointly by the Tokyo Metropolitan Education Board and Japanese Education giant Benesse, former owner of the Berlitz language school chain. Opposition to the test claims that the fact that a Benesse partner company will be scoring the test called into question the fairness and transparency of the process. This is the first time an English test managed by a commercial firm will be used for high school entrance.
Parents were also upset that only students from local authority junior high schools were required to take the test, when those from private schools and nationaljJunior high schools were exempt.
Japan has 15 elite national high schools, which are all connected with different top tier universities.
