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Chandos Book Publishing
The New Japanisation of Schools: A Big Bang Scenario?


Glenn Rikowski, London, 31st August 2006


“They said it couldn’t be done …”

Ten to fifteen years ago, in comparative and international education research circles and in a few articles in education journals there was a debate about the “Japanisation” of schools. That is, ways in which schools in other countries, particularly the UK following the 1988 Education Reform Act and the National Curriculum, were becoming more like those in Japan. The curriculum, pedagogy and school ethos were particularly important in this literature. Japan seemed to be some kind of model to which other countries should aspire, given its apparently super-efficient economy. The Japanisation of schools followed predictably and boringly on from concepts such Toyotaism, Nissanism, quality circles and the like as used in industrial sociology. Of course, when Japan’s economy ground to a halt all such talk stopped, though some of the magic was then transferred to the Tiger economies, and for education especially South Korea and Taiwan. But that dried up to when those economies, especially their financial systems, also hit the buffers a few years later. New Labour’s international obsession for taking on second hand education policies was then transferred to the United States, with Sweden also making a more recent showing.

But perhaps there could be a New Japanisation of schools. This time around, though, they are learning from us in the first instance, as well as from France, Sweden, the US, Australia and New Zealand, according to an article in the Financial Times recently (Turner, 2006). Apparently, the Japanese government has sent missions over to these countries to look at how they have gone about outsourcing public services. They must have liked what they saw, but concluded that we have been rather slow in outsourcing our public services, as they seem to be going for a Big Bang Scenario. This was outlined by David Turner (2006):

“Virtually every government service in Japan could be put out to tender in the biggest shake-up of the public sector in the country’s history, according to a senior Cabinet Office aide. A law that came into force last month will allow public services to be “market tested” to see if they could be better run in private hands. Kazutomi Kurihara, counsellor at the Office for the Promotion of Public Service Reform, said the government had nearly 200 applications from private companies.”

The programme sounds as though it is incorporating some aspects of the Best Value regime as used here in the UK. It also sounds like that there will be a rolling programme of “market testing” of more or less all of Japan’s public services, according to Turner. Thus, if public services are allowed to be run on a significant scale at a relatively quick pace (as compared to what is happening here) then Japan may have some kind of Big Bang outsourcing of public services phenomenon on its hands. In an article I wrote in the Volumizer on 19th October 2005, I discussed the possibility of a Big Bang scenario regarding the outsourcing of schools to the private sector here in England (Rikowski, 2005). I concluded that what actually seemed to be happening was a long drawn-out process of ‘habituation’, where schools would form long-term and ever deeper relationships with businesses and business folk before any substantial schools outsourcing programme would take place. I argued in that article that the Academies programme could be seen in this light: i.e. as a softening-up process for the business takeover of schools on an expanded scale. However, I also raised the issue of whether New Labour was rushing the ‘habituation’ process. Certainly in terms of the White Paper of October 2005, with its Trusts and parental choice it did seem to be. But for the Academies programme, this is less obvious. Another article in the Financial Times a few days ago (Boone, 2006) suggests that parental demand for Academies is far outstripping supply. There are campaigns against them sure, and there have been some significant victories that have meant some Academies have been aborted. There was also the ‘cash for honours’ scandal, where a few people who received honours appear to have obtained them because of their readiness to sponsor Academies. Yet the Academies programme appears to winning many hearts and minds amongst parents, and with businesses sponsoring some of them the habituation argument takes on greater significance.

However, given the situation in Japan, if indeed there is a rapid and substantial outsourcing effect of the new legislation on market testing, then governments in the UK and other countries might argue that their outsourcing of schools is going too slowly. The New Japanisation of schools would then be about copying Japan’s robust and relatively rapid schools outsourcing programme, as well as, of course, such programmes in other areas.

Details provided by Turner indicate that a Big Bang scenario in Japan, which would include Japan’s schools, might not be on the cards, however:

“Under the “market testing” concept, direct comparisons will be made to see whether a service can be provided more efficient by the public or private sector. If a private company wins a tender, it will have three to five years to show it has run the service efficiently and met quality standards as a condition of being rewarded the contract” (Turner, 2006).

Thus, it depends on how accurately, rigorously and stringently these procedures are applied. Of course, the game could be rigged in favour of private companies – as with the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) in the UK. The final decision to put services into the hands of private companies will be made by the Cabinet Office in consultation with the relevant government department or agency. This could slow the process down in some departments who are sceptical or against it, or speed it up if the Cabinet Office send clear signals regarding the desirability of outsourcing – which is more likely given the tone of Turner’s report (Ibid.). Foreign companies can apply to run services, though none have done so yet. Presumably World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules would forbid Japan to exclude WTO members from bidding.

The policy might cause controversy, and it won’t all be plain sailing, as Turner notes:

“The massive outsourcing of public services is bound to cause controversy” (2006).

Certainly, when the programme gets round to schools (the first victims will be collection of national pension premiums, state-run employment agencies and the registration of births, deaths and marriages), and if it goes well for the companies, and if opposition (trade unions, parents, and education pressure groups) can be ignored, side-lined or vanquished, then the UK may look towards Japan’s schools once more for very different reasons. The New Japanisation could be far more significant than the Old one for schools in the UK.


References

Boone, J. (2006) Heavy demand may prompt rise in number of city academies, Financial Times, 26th August, online at: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/27086330-349f-11db-bf9a-0000779e2340.html

Rikowski, G. (2005) Habituation of the Nation: School Sponsors as Precursors to the Big Bang? 19th October, London, online at: http://www.flowideas.co.uk/?page=articles&sub=Habituation%20of%20the%20Nation

Turner, D. (2006) Japan’s public sector faces privatisation, Financial Times, 18th August, p.6.




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