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 MEXT releases the results of the FY2021 School Basic Survey

Japan

On December 22, 2021, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) announced the results of the FY2021 School Basic Survey (final figures), updating some of the preliminary figures released on August 27.

The School Basic Survey has been conducted every year since FY1948 by MEXT, based on the Japanese Statistics Act, for the purpose of surveying basic matters related to schools and obtaining basic data for school education administration.

Overview of the FY2021 School Basic Survey

(1) Survey date: as of May 1, 2021

(2) Survey targets: kindergartens, integrated centers for early childhood education and care, elementary schools, lower secondary schools, Compulsory Education Schools, upper secondary schools, Secondary Education Schools, schools for special needs education, universities, junior colleges, Colleges of Technology, Specialized Training Colleges, miscellaneous schools, municipal boards of education

(3) Survey items: number of schools, number of students, number of teaching staff, number of graduates, number of students going on to further education, number of graduates entering employment, etc.

Key points of the released survey results are as follows.

1. Primary and secondary education institutions, Specialized Training Colleges, and miscellaneous schools

  1. The number of students enrolled in elementary schools and miscellaneous schools is at a record low.
  2. The number of students enrolled in integrated centers for early childhood education and care, Compulsory Education Schools, Secondary Education Schools, and schools for special needs education is at a record high.
  3. The number of students enrolled in kindergartens and upper secondary schools is down from the previous year.
  4. The number of students enrolled in lower secondary schools and Specialized Training Colleges is up from the previous year.
  5. The proportion of female teachers among the total has increased by 0.3 to 0.4 percentage points in lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools, and schools for special needs education to a record high.

2. Higher education institutions

  1. The number of students enrolled in university undergraduate programs is at a record high, and the percentage of female students (45.6%) has increased by 0.1 percentage points from the previous year to a record high.
  2. The number of students enrolled in junior colleges is down by 5,000 from the previous year.
  3. The number of students enrolled in Professional Training Colleges is up by 3,000 from the previous year.
  4. The number of female faculty members across universities (approximately 50,000) is at a record high, up by 1,000 from the previous year. The percentage of female faculty members (26.4%) has increased by 0.5 percentage points from the previous year to a record high.

3. Paths after graduation

  1. The percentage of graduates of upper secondary education institutions entering higher education institutions (universities [undergraduate program], junior colleges [regular course], fourth year at Colleges of Technology, and Professional Training Colleges) (83.8%) has increased by 0.3 percentage points from the previous year to a record high.
  2. The percentage of students who have graduated from university undergraduate programs going on to graduate school, etc. is 11.8%, up by 0.5 percentage points from the previous year.
  3. The percentage of students who have graduated from university undergraduate programs entering employment is 74.2%, down by 3.5 percentage points from the previous year.
  4. The percentage of students who have completed Master's programs continuing studies/research at graduate schools, etc. is 10.1%, up by 0.3 percentage points from the previous year.
  5. The percentage of students who have completed Master's programs entering employment is 75.8%, down by 2.1 percentage points from the previous year.
  6. The percentage of students who have completed Doctoral programs entering employment is 68.4%, down by 1.4 percentage points from the previous year?the first decrease in eight years.

Sources:
School Basic Survey - FY2021 Summary of Results (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology website) [Japanese only]
Overview of the School Basic Survey (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology website) [Japanese only]