Considering Equity in Basic Education Reform in Japan from the Perspective of Private Costs of Education

Overview & Synopsis

It is widely acknowledged that the private costs of education occupy a substantial part of the overall education cost and thus they have implications for quality and equity in education. The case of Japan demonstrates that access to basic education at junior high school level is unequal and inequitable when considering private costs of education borne within and outside the school system. It was also found that household spending on supplementary education in public schools is likely to be determined by local implementation of education reforms. Current education reform with its absence of financial and technical support to schools under the guise of deregulation does not seem to generate good levels of choice nor does it seem to sustain quality and equity in education. (Contains 4 figures, 2 tables, and 3 endnotes.)