Cram Schools: A Study

Here in Japan many parents have lost faith in the public education system, for any number of reasons that won't be meddled with here. The solution, say some is the cram school, also a big hit in South Korea. Students go to cram schools to learn test-taking skills, memorize facts, and naturally, to improve their odds at said standardized tests at their public schools.

Coincidentally, as I also finish work around 9 in the evening, so do a froth of pent-up, sugar fed youth burst forth from the neighboring building (yes, a cram school) causing pandemonium and the occasional startled senior citizen to gasp as crammers mow down unsuspecting bystanders in their bid for freedom.

Can you imagine finishing school at 9 p.m.? Stolen childhoods, lack of personality development, public nuisance, financially plagued parents succumbed to the elusive goals of competition and report card bragging rights. Oh, woe is the world where kids aren't allowed time to play anymore.

(Foryou language buffs, the Japanese word for cram school is "juku.")