Article by: yana

If you ever watched a slice of life anime in your life you’ve probably came across a character who goes to a cram school, as they are indeed very popular in Japan. But what are they exactly?

According to Wikipedia 

“Gakushū juku (Japanese: 学習塾; see cram school) are private, fee-paying schools that offer supplementary classes often in preparation for key school and university entrance exams. The term is primarily used to characterize such schools in Japan. Juku typically operates after regular school hours, on weekends, and during school vacations.” 

From the 1970s to the mid-1980s, juku popularity grew, with participation rates increasing at every grade level in the compulsory education years. The Ministry of Education was concerned about this problem and provided directives to standard schools in the hopes of minimizing the need for after-school classes, but these directives had no practical impact. Some juku have branches in the United States and other countries to help international students keep up with Japanese students.  

There are two types of juku, academic and nonacademic. First offer classes in the five subjects: mathematics, Japanese language, science, English, and social studies while nonacademic are popular for piano lessons, art instruction, swimming, and abacus (soroban) lessons.