Sumit Mishra, Country Director – Japan & South Korea, Global Schools Group, shares his thoughts on the education system, technology and trends in South Korea and Japan.
1. Could you share your journey and what led you to your current role?
I have been in the K-12 education space for well over a decade, and have been instrumental in setting up and managing many schools across the geography of India. Before moving abroad, my last assignment was at Zee Learn as the Business Head of one of India’s largest K-12 school chains. The current role was a sort of natural progression and I am now applying my skills and experience in more developed markets.
2. How do you see the role of technology evolving in education, particularly in Japan and South Korea?
Both these countries – Japan and South Korea – have always been at the forefront of the technological revolution. Moreover, some of the biggest and best technology brands emanate from these two countries. At the same time, Japan is also a traditional society and some of the conservative traditions find a voice in the education system. Most children in Japan go to the public school system, which while among the best in the world, has not evolved that much to embrace technology. The conservative thought wants to keep schools as is with children being less exposed to comforts and technology. Technology in public schools is limited to projectors and computer labs, and while hardware is available there is minimal training on IT and coding. International schools and private Japanese schools have done a relatively better job integrating technology into the curriculum, with some providing individual devices to students.
3. What are the most significant trends in education that you have observed in Japan and South Korea in recent years?
Till just a decade back, there was very limited interest in English education in Japan, and that’s the reason most middle-aged Japanese know limited English. Most flagship courses for example medicine and engineering in Japanese universities are still taught in Japanese Language. In the last few years though things are changing rapidly. Many young Japanese are less conservative and are actively looking at International schools for their kids. The government has also realised the importance of English in a globalised world and is incentivising universities to establish full courses in English. IB courses have also started in some public schools. This has led to a ballooning of international schools and colleges offering English medium courses.
4. What are the main challenges and opportunities you encounter while working in the education sector in these countries?
The huge and growing opportunity is of course for education in the English language. In Japan, this is facilitated by the government which is quite welcoming towards international schools. An interesting feature of the Japanese system is that private companies are allowed to operate schools, and there are limited restrictions on buildings and land. This obviously makes it easier for foreign entities to operate schools there.
Korea is a far more complicated market. There are some parallels with the Indian system where state governments at times try to enforce the local language in schools. Similarly, the Korean government lays some restrictions on children wishing to attend international schools for example the family should have lived abroad for a minimum of three years etc. There is a particular province in Korea that permits international education to Koreans without such restrictions, and this also has its complications as families and investments in international education move to a particular geography.
5. How do you perceive the current state of the Indian education system, and what are the key areas that require improvement?
The Indian education system has made quite a few improvements over the years and the New Education Policy 2020 has the potential at least on paper to make the system on par with developed countries. Education Boards like CBSE are quite progressive and have brought in a good mix of core and skill subjects. From the Board’s viewpoint, there is no compulsory requirement of subjects for a so-called stream of education like science, commerce, etc. and students can choose subjects based on their interests. But these improvements are at a policy level and actual on-ground implementation is the tricky part. The wavelength of society does not really match the government’s high thinking and there is undue focus on particular streams like engineering and medical. Change is happening especially in metroes where more children are moving to non-traditional streams of education but it’s a slow process of change in a vast country. More than the education system, I would say it is the mindset of Indian parents that needs to evolve.
6. How does the education system in India compare with those in Japan and South Korea? What strengths and weaknesses do you see in each?
When it comes to education South Korea compares more closely to India. For Koreans, education is like religion and parents are ready to invest their money and time for better education of children. International education in English is sought after and Korean mothers at times move to live in another city/country with their children just for the sake of education. The Korean government, though prefers that children should study in Korean schools. Japan on the other hand is somewhat more evolved both at a policy and social level. The Japanese government imposes no restrictions and parents are free to choose between Japanese and International schools. Relatively speaking Japanese parents also do not push their children to that extent.
A direct comparison between India and these two countries would not be fair as India is still developing and plagued by issues like high dropout rates, poor quality of rural schools, etc. The Indian system also lacks seats in quality higher education leading to unnatural competition for a few good colleges, especially in professional education. In these countries, it is much more balanced, and the choice is between a good education in English or a good education in the local language. In India, for less affluent parents it is actually at times a choice between good and bad education.
7. What innovations or changes do you anticipate in the future of education, and how is the Global Schools Group preparing to adapt to these changes?
If you look back at the last few years one key disruptor of the education system worldwide was the Covid-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic and the resultant lockdowns, there was not much seriousness among educators as to the potential of online education. All this changed overnight and online education has finally become mainstream. The Global Schools Group has always been at the forefront of technology in education, and this is one reason all our schools could quickly move online and work during the pandemic. There has been continuous investment in technology and teacher training at GSG leading to a new learning management system. Another change is the rapid pace of globalisation; close to half a million students just from India go abroad to study. GSG which operates schools in over ten countries ensures that there is good student interaction across countries leading to students developing a global mindset even if their primary school location is in India.
