Education and Skills in Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Education and Skills in Japan - Essay Example Adult education has also offered to cater for those never had childhood education or those who want to further their informal education. Market offers avenues where the skills acquired through the education system are applied. A balance between education which supply skilled and vocationally-oriented workforce and the market has to be established for viable economy of a country to grow. The future of a country economic growth and development is much dependent on emphasis placed on the education system which supply work force in the market. Education and skills that an individual possesses form the personality and worthiness in the society. The role of education is the social purpose, intellectual purpose, economic purpose and civil/political purpose. The economic purpose reflects that most of those countries with high levels of literacy are the richest countries in the world based on GDP per capita. Market requires education and skills that are able to meet its workforce qualifications successfully. There are usually two approaches i.e. basic scenario and target scenario which if well formulated leads to high levels of employment coupled with high quality jobs for economic growth. Current Market requires individuals who are knowledgeable and well equipped with new sophisticated technologies to offer solutions in the society. The market offers opportunities for employment based on education and skills possessed by an individual but market forces tend to exploit education qualification at the expense of supply and this should be controlled and regulations formulated by government through the ministry of education of different nations to offer terms and conditions for any opportunities that arise in the market. 2 Japan has level of education due to well formulated system after war in the country. The model of education consists of mandatory free basic schooling for children aged 6 to 15 years. Upper secondary not mandatory but about 94% of those who attend lower education enrol and about a 40% of upper secondary graduates make to tertiary education. Today there is high enrolment rate in public institutions leading to high productivity rate in its population. This has led to a mature and learning society with rising incomes, more free time and rise in old population engaged in learning activities. The graph 1.1 below reflects the number of students who advances to high school from the year 1960 to 2001. There is positive growth in percentage from 57.7% in 1960 and tend to stagnate at 95% by the year 2000.3 This indicates high level of retention of students who forms part of 40 % tertiary institutions. Graph 1.2 reflects the gender parity among those who advance to tertiary institutions for the period. Male students dominated female the whole period but it reached at time between 1975 and 1990 when male enrolment decline significantly while that of female kept a positive growth. This led to narrowing the gap from 40.4% male and female 12.5% in 1970 to 46.9% male and 32.7% female in 1990.4 - Source: Asahi Shumbun Newspaper, 2006 Source: Asahi Shumbun Newspaper, 2006 Conclusion Economic prosperity of country heavily relies on education system that produces the work force. Market alone cannot shape the destiny of education and

Film review the film is My Antonia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Film review the film is My Antonia - Essay Example Set in the late nineteenth century Nebraska, the story revolves around the travails of orphan Jimmy Burden, who moves into his grandparents’ (played by Jason Robards and Eva Marie Saint) farm that is located nearby Black Hawk, Nebraska. Young Jimmy is immediately drawn to 15-year neighbor Antonia Shimerda (played by Elina Lowensohn) and they become close friends. Conflict arises when Antonia’s father wants Jimmy to teach her English, whereas Jimmy’s grandfather is concerned about his grandson’s own education. But soon the Shimerda family meets a tragedy and contact with the Burdens is severed as the latter move into town. As the ageing grandparents pool their resources into making their grandson a graduate, Antonia renews her contact with Jimmy as she also now lives in town. The subsequent narrative is about the evolution and endurance of their friendship, which lasts for many years, even as Jimmy takes further strides in his academic and professional life . The relationship between Jimmy and Antonia has a romantic basis to it, but neither of them expresses it in overt ways. The intrusion of the beautiful Lena also disrupts the harmony of their relationship. As Jimmy takes greater interest in Lena, he drifts further apart from Antonia. This element of the relationship adds suspense and intrigue to the narrative and keeps audience interest alive throughout. The adaptation to film comes off well, although some of the smaller characters in the novel do not find space in the shorter film format. Yet, the essence of the novel is fully captured through the strong impression that the character of Antonia makes on the audience. Even as the film moves toward the final denouement, the benevolence and kindness of Antonia lingers on the mind of the discerning viewer, standing as a testament to the film’s overall success. For example, even as she realizes that Jimmy is lost to her, Antonia does not cry foul and neglect her duties toward her family. She carries on bravely and reconstructs her life in a manner fitting the circumstances. When Jimmy eventually meets Antonia toward the end of the film, he finds her living a happy married with children. The film ends upon this note of implicit regard and goodwill for each other. As for the performance given by lead actors, excepting for Elina Lowensohn's stand-out central performance, none of the other actors evince much energy, especially Neil Patrick Harris in the lead role. Even accommodating for the fact that Jimmy Burden is a reserved character in the film, he nowhere nearly capture the emotional turmoil that Cather portrayed so eloquently. One of the larger themes covered by the movie is the disparate treatment meted out to immigrant communities. This is most evident in the ordeals of the Shimerda family in assimilating with the local community in Black Hawk, Nebraska. Willa Cather was a writer of great cultural and social sensitivity. And the film My Antonio successf ully captures the thrust and emphasis of her presentation of American social problems. For example, reviewer Tom Wiener correctly notes in his review article that â€Å"The strongest portrayal in the film is the plight of European immigrants and in particular the young women. As Antonia plaintively says, "Girls like me don't get chances," and although she almost blows what she thinks is her best shot, she does land on her feet--no thanks to the self-absorbed Jimmy. A longer film might