When Japan cut classroom hours and introduced more flexible learning from the 1980s, under a policy which it called the Yutori – which means “relax” – students’ scores dropped and parents sent them to cram schools to make up for the perceived decline in rigour in the regular classroom.
The government had to reverse this policy and restore the focus on academic achievement and rigour of learning.
Japan has put up with the global perception that its examinations are stressful, because it understands that swinging to the other extreme is even worse.
Singapore has learnt from the mistake that the Japanese made, says Mr Wong Siew Hoong, director-general of education at the Ministry of Education, even as it makes changes to reduce school-based assessments and move away from an overemphasis on academic results.