Japanese language education in Kazakhstan

Japanese language education in Kazakhstan dates back to 1992; the Japan Foundation's 2006 survey showed 51 teachers teaching the language to 1,569 students at thirteen institutions in Kazakhstan; the number of students increased by 38% as compared to the 2003 survey and more than triple the number in the 1998 survey.cite web|publisher=The Japan Foundation|title=1998年海外日本語教育機関調査結果: カザフスタン (Results of the 1998 survey of overseas Japanese language educational institutions: Kazakhstan)|url=http://www.jpf.go.jp/j/japan_j/oversea/kunibetsu/1999/kazakhstan.html|date=2004|accessdate=2008-01-14] cite web|publisher=The Japan Foundation|title=2003年海外日本語教育機関調査結果: カザフスタン (Results of the 2003 survey of overseas Japanese language educational institutions: Kazakhstan)|url=http://www.jpf.go.jp/j/japan_j/oversea/kunibetsu/2004/kazakhstan.html|date=2004|accessdate=2008-01-14]

History

Japanese language education in Kazakhstan formally began with the 1992 establishment of a Japanese language course at Almaty's Al-Farabi University; Kazakh National Technical University, Kazakh University of International Relations, Kazakh National Pedagogical University, International Academy of Business, and two other universities in Kazakhstan soon followed. Courses at the elementary and secondary levels were established several years later; two schools began offering Japanese classes in 1996, followed by another three in 1998 and an additional four schools after 2000. However, by 2003, four of the primary and secondary programmes were terminated due to lack of teaching staff, while an additional two universities and one non-school institution began to offer Japanese language courses. For students in primary and secondary schools, Japanese language classes might begin as early as the fifth year of compulsory education, proceeding until the eighth or the eleventh year.cite web|publisher=The Japan Foundation|title=2006年海外日本語教育機関調査結果: カザフスタン (Results of the 2006 survey of overseas Japanese language educational institutions: Kazakhstan)|url=http://www.jpf.go.jp/j/japan_j/oversea/kunibetsu/2006/kazakhstan.html|date=2006|accessdate=2008-01-14] As of 2007, Kazakhstan had 43 teachers of Japanese, among whom eight were native speakers. Students majoring in Japanese faced problems such as low wages and lack of opportunities to use their skills in professional contexts, leading to limits on the growth of interest in the language.

Much language study is funded not indigeneously, but rather through a portion of the US$95 million in official development assistance provided by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as additional private aid. [cite conference|title=Japanese Policies in Relation to Kazakhstan: Is There a "Strategy"|pages=165-186|last=Uyama|first=Tomohiko|title=Thinking Strategically: The major Powers, Kazakhstan, and the Central Asian Nexus|editor=Robert H. Legvold|publisher=The MIT Press|date=2003|id=ISBN 0262621746] There is no unified national curriculum for Japanese studies at either the primary, secondary, or tertiary levels; rather, institutions design their own curricula, typically with the aid of, and using textbooks published by, the Japan Center, which is also funded by the Japanese government.

tandardised testing

The Japanese Language Proficiency Test has been offered in Kazakhstan since 2003, solely in the former capital of Almaty. The number of examinees fell every year for the first two years after the test's introduction, but in 2006, their count more than doubled; the number of people taking the introductory 4th-level examination nearly quadrupled. However, JETRO's Business Japanese Test was not offered in Kazakhstan or any other former Soviet Union member state as of 2006.cite web|url=http://www.jetro.go.jp/en/bjt/data/jlrt/pdf/res13report_en.pdf|format=PDF |title=13th JLRT (2006): A Summary Report|publisher=Japan External Trade Organization|date=2006|accessdate=2006-12-01]

ee also

*Chinese as a foreign language

References

Further reading

* – ^{[http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=author%3A+intitle%3A%E3%82%AB%E3%82%B6%E3%83%95%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%B3%E3%81%AB%E3%81%8A%E3%81%91%E3%82%8B%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%AA%9E%E5%88%9D%E7%B4%9A%E3%82%AB%E3%83%AA%E3%82%AD%E3%83%A5%E3%83%A9%E3%83%A0+-%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E4%BA%BA%E6%9D%90%E9%96%8B%E7%99%BA%E3%82%BB%E3%83%B3%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%81%AE%E6%96%B0%E3%81%97%E3%81%84%E8%A9%A6%E3%81%BF-+%28A+Report+on+the+New+Curriculum+of+Elementary+Japanese-Language+Classes+in+the+Kazakhstan+Japan+Center%29&as_publication=Kokusai+K%C5%8Dry%C5%ABkikin+Nihongo+Ky%C5%8Diku+Kiyo&as_ylo=&as_yhi=&btnG=Search Scholar search]}