What does the experience of school by Japanese youth suggest about the Essay

What does the experience of school by Japanese youth suggest about the education for sustainable development In what ways does it resonate in Malaysia - Essay Example As defined by the World Bank Group, Education is the first step for poverty reduction and to increase human development. It is a primordial element to acquire knowledge. It is stated at the top of every state policy they will implement. Each government makes an effort to improve their system of education, because this will benefit their country, particularly their economy, in the long run. As Milton Freidman stated, the government interferes with its citizens’ education to promote the welfare of the society. An educated individual is a great addition to boost a country’s economic growth and to sustain its future needs, provided that he will be able to apply what he had learned from school. Sustainable development is a concept which deals with the balance on how present demands are meet without compromising the future needs of the young generations. This protects a country from exhausting all its natural resources to meet its present needs without undermining its economi c growth. It is how conflicts should be resolved between the present necessities and the economic development, in order to withstand the upcoming needs. Education for sustainable development is one of the most pressing topics in the world. as discussed in the preceding paragraphs, education is a tool for achieving sustainable development. It provides individuals training, discipline and knowledge. It gives guidance to the future work force. However, though the goal of education for sustainable development is towards a positive result, the idea still has negative implications along the way. ESD not only focused on the academic side of education but also how values are being taught to sustain development. The values formation curriculum varies from one country to another. It depends on how closely knit the cultural ties of a certain country (McKeown, Hopkins, Rizi, &Chrystalbridge 2002). Since the subject on values formation is not universally the same, the approach on the students va ries from one country to another. These problems lead us to the question whether the predicaments in the present education will be able to sustain the impending needs of the future generations. In this paper, a comparative analysis will be presented with regard the education for sustainable development in Japan and Malaysia, and its negative implications to its people. The discussion made on this paper has transcendental importance and must be able to provide us a concrete picture of what is happening in these two countries, and to examine whether such will be advantageous in the long run. Japan and its Economy Japan is one of the most looked up countries, especially in Asia, due to its rapid economic progress. According to Asianinfo.org (2011a), tt is the third largest economy in the world. The currency used by Japan is Yen. It implements a semi-pegged foreign exchange. Japan’s leading industries are manufacturing, construction, communication and distribution. All these sect ors are backed by the country’s labor force (Japan-guide.com 2011). In state.gov (2011) it is stated that the work force in Japan is approximately 65.9 million in 2010, which is divided in three main sectors: Services which is composed of 68 percent of the work force, industry with 28% and agriculture with 4 percent. The literacy rate in Japan in 2010 is an outstanding 99 percent. The literacy statistics show that Japan has an excellent educational system. Education in Japan According to Kaori Okano and Motonori Tsuchiya (1999), education plays a major role on the countries development. Education must be able to cope up with the speedy economic growth of Japan. With that, state