MONIES SPENT ON PUBLIC EDUCATION ACROSS NORTH AMERICA HAVE  
GENERALLY RISEN DURING THE LAST  TWO DECADES -- AT A GREATER 
RATE THAN MOST OTHER SERVICES OR PERSONAL INCOME.  BUT 
SATISFACTION LEVEL HAS DECLINED.  PERHAPS A FACTUAL LOOK AT 
SOME OTHER EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS MAY OFFER A CLUE TO THE WISDOM  
ON WHETHER TO SPEND MORE OR LESS ON OUR OWN EDUCATIONAL 
SYSTEM.

THE CONSENSUS, BETWEEN THOSE BOTH IN AND OUT OF THE CANADIAN 
AND AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS, IS THAT JAPAN IS DOING 
BETTER -- BOTH WITH STUDENTS WHO GRADUATE AND THOSE WHO DROP 
OUT.  IT IS ALSO GENERALLY AGREED THAT NORTH AMERICAN HIGH 
SCHOOL GRADUATES DO NOT MATCH THE LEVELS NOW REACHED BY 
JAPANESE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.  IF OUR STUDENTS CAN'T BE EQUAL 
NOW, THEY ARE UNLIKELY TO BE EQUAL LATER IN LIFE.

IN JAPAN, STUDENTS ATTEND SCHOOL FROM 8:30 A.M. TO 4:00 P.M. -- 240 
DAYS A YEAR COMPARED TO OUR 180 DAYS.  EVERY DAY, ELEMENTARY 
STUDENTS GET FROM 90 MINUTES TO TWO HOURS OF HOMEWORK.  IN HIGH 
SCHOOL THIS CLIMBS TO TWO-AND-A-HALF HOURS A DAY.  AND MANY GO 
TO EVENING "JUKU" OR CRAM SCHOOLS FOR ANOTHER TWO HOURS FOR TWO 
TO THREE DAYS A WEEK.  THESE CRAM SCHOOLS ARE NOT DESIGNED TO 
BRING THOSE FALLING BEHIND UP TO THE STANDARD, BUT ARE THERE TO 
ENCOURAGE SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT.  THEY ARE LOOKING NOT FOR 
EQUALITY BUT FOR THE ELITE.

JAPANESE SCHOOLS HAVE NO GRAFITTI ON HALL AND CLASSROOM WALLS 
NOR IN THE WASHROOMS.  WHY?  JAPANESE SCHOOLS DO NOT HAVE 
JANITORS.  THE CLEANING IS DONE BY  STUDENTS, UNDER THEIR TEACHERS' 
SUPERVISION.  NOT MUCH SENSE IN APPLYING GRAFITTI IF YOU ARE 
GOING TO BE SELECTED TO WASH IT OFF!  WHILE THEY ARE CLEANING, THE 
STUDENTS ARE DEVELOPING A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY ABOUT 
CLEANLINESS, DISCIPLINE AND ECONOMY.  THE SCHOOL PAYROLL IS 
MINIMIZED. CONTROL BY THE JANITORS' UNION DOESN'T EXIST.

WHEN THESE CHILDREN GO ON TO UNIVERSITIES -- AND JAPAN HAS MORE 
THAN 420 OF THEM:  MORE THAN IN ALL OF WESTERN EUROPE (THE NEXT 
16 WILL ALL BE OPERATED BY PRIVATE CORPORATIONS)  -- THEY WILL 
HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE "PRESSURE COOKER" OF THEIR LIVES.  FOR THOSE 
NORTH AMERICANS WHO SAY THIS IS UNHEALTHY, I WOULD POINT OUT 
THAT THESE ARE THE SURVIVORS.  AND IF WE EXPECT TO COMPETE WITH 
THE JAPANESE, WE BETTER LEARN HOW THE NEW GAME IS PLAYED.

A RECENT REPORT BY THE U.S. CONFERENCE BOARD INDICATES  CURRENT 
GROWTH RATES  FOR INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES:

   JAPAN                   22%              U.K.                          8%
   TAIWAN               17%              U.S.                           8%
   AUSTRALIA          12%              WEST GERMANY       6%
   FRANCE                   9%              ITALY                      4%
                                                    CANADA                   3%

SO HOW CAN WE COMPETE?  PERHAPS BY SPENDING ON EDUCATION WHAT 
THE JAPANESE DO?  

HERE ARE THE LATEST FIGURES AVAILABLE INDICATING RELATIVE 
PERCENTAGE OF GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT SPENT ON EDUCATION BY:

           CANADA                       7.8%
           UNITED KINGDOM         6.2% 
           UNITED STATES            6.0%
           JAPAN                          5.3%

MORAL:  MAYBE SPENDING UP TO 50 PERCENT MORE TO GET  HALF THE 
RESULTS ISN'T THE WAY TO GO?
_