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LEAD: English to be made compulsory subject at Japanese elementary schools+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)TOKYO, March 27_(Kyodo) _ (EDS: ADDING DETAILS) Learning English is expected soon to be made mandatory for students at all primary schools in Japan, following an education ministry panel's recommendation issued Monday, ministry officials said. The panel offered no specific timeline, but the education ministry plans to revise curriculum guidelines in the next academic year, which begins Saturday. A Central Council for Education subpanel on foreign languages has recommended that those in the fifth and sixth grades be given an hour-long English lesson each week and that those in lower grades learn the language as part of special activity programs. Some panel members noted that other Asian countries such as South Korea and China have already made English a compulsory primary school subject. They urged that Japan consider such an option. More than 90 percent of Japanese public primary schools already offer some form of English lessons, according to the officials. But the subpanel's report noted that currently offered lessons are not necessarily uniform in activity and hours and cited the need to provide a common base for learning the language. Japanese students take English as part of official school curricula when they enter junior high school. The subpanel's proposal is subject to approval by the central council, which advises the education minister, but the officials say there appears to be little opposition in the council. Some subpanel members opposed the idea, however, saying primary schools should place importance on teaching Japanese or other subjects than English. They also said there is a lack of competent instructors for the language. The panel report was compiled after 14 meetings that began in April 2004. The report dismissed concern that making English compulsory might undermine students' Japanese language skills. "Leaning English syntax and vocabulary should heighten their sensitivity to languages and it could even have a benign impact on developing the command of the national language," the report said. |