Let us now pan Japan’s education system

by David Safier

I'm sure Japan has very fine tea [See post below]. But its education? Not so good, I'm guessing. I'm just trying to be logical here. Let me explain.

A few decades back, Japan looked like an unstoppable economic engine powering its way across the world and devouring everything in its path. At the time, we heard nothing but praise for the Japanese education system which produced the young men and women who built and maintained this economic giant. As for the U.S., it was clear our terrible schools were destroying our economy from within.

According to the U.S. education bashers, there's a straight cause-and-effect relationship going on here. Good schools, growing economy. Bad schools, shrinking economy.

So I can only assume the shadow that's fallen over Japan's economy since its glory days means its education system has gone through a complete 180. The country have done something — I'm not sure what — to decimate its schools and send an inferior educational product into the workplace, crippling the Japanese economy. I mean, I just read in today's NY Times, Japan's public debt is the highest in the world.

[A]fter years of government spending to shore up the economy, Japanese public I.O.U.’s have mushroomed to almost $12 trillion — more than twice the size of its economy and the heaviest government debt burden in the world.

By the reckoning of the same people who tell us we're in dire need of drastic "education reform," nothing is more indicative of an economy on the rocks than a high national debt.

Could this mean the U.S., with its lower relative national debt and comparatively more robust economy than Japan's over the past few decades, has better schools than Japan? I'm just trying to be logical here, using the conservative cause-and-effect model. Bad economy, bad schools. Better economy, better schools. If that's not true, if maybe you can't create a direct cause-and-effect relationship between a developed country's system of education and the health of its economy, will conservatives please shut the hell up about how our schools are public enemy number one when it comes to our struggling economy?