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Japan Today
21-07-2025
- Japan Today
Japanese students' English skills improving, but targets unmet
Over half of Japanese public junior and senior high school students met official English proficiency milestones, but further progress is needed to reach the government's more ambitious targets, a recent education ministry survey showed. As generative artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, rapidly evolves, the country's education authorities are looking to utilize the technology as an educational tool to improve the English skills of students and help them develop into "global human resources." The government has set targets based on the Eiken Test in Practical English Proficiency, a widely used exam in Japan backed by the ministry that assesses the skills of examinees on an eight-level scale, with Grade 1 being the highest. The government's fiscal 2027 goal is for over 60 percent of students to attain English proficiency equivalent to Grade 3 or above upon completing junior high school, and Grade Pre-2 or higher by the end of senior high school. Those who reached Grade 3 are expected to be able to understand and use English related to everyday topics. Those with Grade Pre-2 can participate in general aspects of daily life using English. As of December, 52.4 percent of final-year junior high school students and 51.6 percent of senior high school students were judged to have met the targets, according to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Among them, 27.8 percent of junior high school students actually passed the test, while another 24.5 percent were confirmed to have met targets set by their teachers. For senior high school students, the figures were 31.8 percent and 19.8 percent, respectively. For junior high school students by prefecture and major city, Saitama had the highest passing rate at 89.2 percent, followed by Fukui Prefecture at 79.8 percent, Fukuoka at 65.9 percent and Yokohama at 65.4 percent. As for English teachers who have passed Grade Pre-1 -- a level roughly equivalent to intermediate university English -- or higher, 46.2 percent of junior high and 82.2 percent of senior high school teachers met the target, the ministry said. In the 2024 English Proficiency Index released by EF Education First, a Swiss company that operates language schools worldwide, Japan ranked 92nd out of 116 non-native-speaking nations and regions, below South Korea, Vietnam and China. © KYODO
The Mainichi
21-07-2025
- Science
- The Mainichi
Japanese students' English skills improving, but targets unmet
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Over half of Japanese public junior and senior high school students met official English proficiency milestones, but further progress is needed to reach the government's more ambitious targets, a recent education ministry survey showed. As generative artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, rapidly evolves, the country's education authorities are looking to utilize the technology as an educational tool to improve the English skills of students and help them develop into "global human resources." The government has set targets based on the Eiken Test in Practical English Proficiency, a widely used exam in Japan backed by the ministry that assesses the skills of examinees on an eight-level scale, with Grade 1 being the highest. The government's fiscal 2027 goal is for over 60 percent of students to attain English proficiency equivalent to Grade 3 or above upon completing junior high school, and Grade Pre-2 or higher by the end of senior high school. Those who reached Grade 3 are expected to be able to understand and use English related to everyday topics. Those with Grade Pre-2 can participate in general aspects of daily life using English. As of December, 52.4 percent of final-year junior high school students and 51.6 percent of senior high school students were judged to have met the targets, according to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Among them, 27.8 percent of junior high school students actually passed the test, while another 24.5 percent were confirmed to have met targets set by their teachers. For senior high school students, the figures were 31.8 percent and 19.8 percent, respectively. For junior high school students by prefecture and major city, Saitama had the highest passing rate at 89.2 percent, followed by Fukui Prefecture at 79.8 percent, Fukuoka at 65.9 percent and Yokohama at 65.4 percent. As for English teachers who have passed Grade Pre-1 -- a level roughly equivalent to intermediate university English -- or higher, 46.2 percent of junior high and 82.2 percent of senior high school teachers met the target, the ministry said. In the 2024 English Proficiency Index released by EF Education First, a Swiss company that operates language schools worldwide, Japan ranked 92nd out of 116 non-native-speaking nations and regions, below South Korea, Vietnam and China.
Business Insider
11-07-2025
- General
- Business Insider
Top 5 African countries with the best English proficiency
While not every African country saw gains in English proficiency, the region as a whole made progress, particularly among women, who continue to outperform men. Business Insider Africa presents the top 5 African countries with the best English proficiency. The list is courtesy of EF Education First. Africa remains the only continent where women consistently show stronger English skills, with Ethiopia recording the world's widest gender gap in favour of women at 58 points. English is more widely understood today than it was 30 years ago, yet many people still struggle to use it effectively in academic and professional settings. The cost, in missed opportunities, miscommunication, and wasted time, is difficult to measure. The 2024 EF Education First English Proficiency Index, based on data from 2.1 million test takers, explores global trends in English proficiency. This year marks the fourth consecutive global decline in average English skills, with 60% of countries scoring lower than in 2023. However, Africa defies this trend. While not every country improved, the region as a whole made progress, particularly among women, who continue to outperform men. Africa remains the only continent where women consistently show stronger English skills, with Ethiopia recording the world's widest gender gap in favour of women at 58 points. English proficiency, as measured at the national level, correlates strongly with a broad set of development indicators such as income, education, innovation, welfare, competitiveness, and global engagement. Though the strength of these correlations may shift over time, they have remained consistently significant, particularly about calculated indices, more so than single metrics like GDP or average years of schooling. Despite varied results across the region, Africa's overall performance highlights a growing emphasis on language skills. This report spotlights the African countries with the highest English proficiency, where improved language capabilities are helping to unlock opportunity and drive development. Below are the top 5 African countries with the best English proficiency: Rank Country Score Global ranking 1 South Africa 594 11th 2 Kenya 581 19th 3 Nigeria 557 30th 4 Ghana 534 41st 5 Uganda 518 54th
