Japan - Teaching Respect and Manners

Discover the role of Japanese education in encouraging children to have good manners and respect for others, in this comparative CPD resource for KS1/KS2/KS3 global citizenship teachers.

The video reveals how two Tokyo schools encourage children to feel a sense of obligation to help others. Pupils are asked to work in groups with particular responsibilities, including serving each other lunch and cleaning the school buildings at Suginami Dai Elementary and Koenji Junior High.

The Japanese Ministry of Education wants to encourage children's individual strengths, yet it's aware that if there's too much emphasis on this, young people may no longer feel a sense of public duty.

As a result, schools are putting increased emphasis on moral education lessons, with great pressure on teachers to cultivate a sense of morality and citizenship.