Chugakko Houmon visiting junior high schools

Here in Japan there are quite a few private high schools which have to recruit new students every year. My high school is located in area where there are only a few private high schools. In Japan the public high schools’ level is usually higher than that of private high schools. In the third grade of junior high school students take entrance exams to enter a high school. If students flunk the test the only option they have is to go to a private high school. Private high schools however, are much more expensive so students study hard to pass the examination. During the last ten years or so, the Japanese population has been significantly decreasing so it is becoming more difficult to recruit new students every year. Our high school has scholarships for students with high academic scores and for students who are excellent at sports. Having a strong sport club will attract more students which is good for the school.

Last Friday all the teachers of my high school went to visit junior high schools. This is called Chugakko Houmon. Usually two teachers pair up and visit about six to eight junior high school to talk to the teachers there. We inform them of our best academic achievements, top universities where our students were able to pass the exam, and best performance of our clubs. Last year the table tennis club was number one of the prefecture and the tennis club played on national level. We prepared brochures for each graduating student at the junior high schools and some posters to be hung on the school wall.

Together with another teacher I visited six junior high schools in Mito city, Ibaraki prefecture. In Mito city the competition is quite fierce because that city has more than ten private high schools. My high school is located about forty kilometers from Mito city in the middle of nowhere surrounded by rice paddies. Students or parents of students who are looking for decent education and raising well behaved children often choose for my school. Since there is nothing interesting around this school, students are able to focus on their studies or sport club and won’t be distracted by the temptations of department stores, shopping malls, or amusement arcades. These are some of the strong sales points of my high school. In the past, only a few students from Mito city have chosen to attend my school but hopefully this will change in the near future.