Japanese language education in Kazakhstan
Encyclopedia
| Institution | Major | Minor | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Farabi University Al-Farabi University Al-Farabi Kazakh National University , also called KazGU or KazNU, is a university in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Named after the Muslim scholar, it is the country's primary and largest university.... |
72 | 46 | 10 | 128 |
| Kazakh University of International Relations | 35 | 133 | 85 | 253 |
| Kazakh Academy of Labour and Social Relations | 13 | 10 | 0 | 23 |
| Kazakh National Pedagogical University | 0 | 149 | 19 | 168 |
| Eurasian National University | 0 | 0 | 163 | 163 |
| Kazakh Economics University | 0 | 0 | 20 | 20 |
| KIMEP | 0 | 0 | 25 | 25 |
| Total | 120 | 338 | 322 | 780 |
Japanese language education in Kazakhstan dates back to 1992; the Japan Foundation
Japan Foundation
The was established in 1972 by an Act of the Japanese Diet as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture, and became an independent administrative institution under the jurisdiction of the Foreign Ministry of Japan on 1 October 2003 under the "Independent...
's 2006 survey showed 51 teachers teaching the language to 1,569 students at thirteen institutions in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
; the number of students increased by 38% as compared to the 2003 survey and more than triple the number in the 1998 survey.
History
Japanese language education in Kazakhstan formally began with the 1992 establishment of a Japanese language course at AlmatyAlmaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
's Al-Farabi University
Al-Farabi University
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University , also called KazGU or KazNU, is a university in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Named after the Muslim scholar, it is the country's primary and largest university....
; Kazakh National Technical University, Kazakh University of International Relations, Kazakh National Pedagogical University, International Academy of Business
International Academy of Business
International Academy of Business is a higher educational institution in Almaty providing preparation of specialists of economic fields under bachelor's degree programs, MBA and DBA .IAB is one the first business higher schools in Kazakhstan — the Academy has been organized in 1988 as Alma-Ata...
, and two other universities in Kazakhstan soon followed. Courses at the elementary and secondary levels were established several years later; two schools began offering Japanese classes in 1996, followed by another three in 1998 and an additional four schools after 2000. However, by 2003, four of the primary and secondary programmes were terminated due to lack of teaching staff, while an additional two universities and one non-school institution began to offer Japanese language courses. For students in primary and secondary schools, Japanese language classes might begin as early as the fifth year of compulsory education, proceeding until the eighth or the eleventh year. As of 2007, Kazakhstan had 43 teachers of Japanese, among whom eight were native speakers. Students majoring in Japanese faced problems such as low wages and lack of opportunities to use their skills in professional contexts, leading to limits on the growth of interest in the language.
Much language study is funded not indigenously, but rather through a portion of the US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
95 million in official development assistance provided by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)
The is a cabinet level ministry of Japan responsible for the country's foreign relations.The ministry is due to the second term of the third article of the National Government Organization Act , and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Establishment Act establishes the ministry...
, as well as additional private aid. There is no unified national curriculum for Japanese studies at either the primary, secondary, or tertiary levels; rather, institutions design their own curricula, typically with the aid of, and using textbooks published by, the Japan Center, which is also funded by the Japanese government.
Standardised testing
| Year | City | Examinees by Level | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | L2 | L3 | L4 | Total | ||
| 2006 | Almaty Almaty Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500... |
50 | 98 | 135 | 91 | 374 |
| 2005 | Almaty Almaty Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500... |
28 | 43 | 68 | 25 | 164 |
| 2004 | Almaty Almaty Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500... |
34 | 63 | 61 | 28 | 186 |
| 2003 | Almaty Almaty Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500... |
41 | 87 | 42 | 24 | 194 |
The Japanese Language Proficiency Test
Japanese Language Proficiency Test
The , or JLPT, is a standardized criterion-referenced test to evaluate and certify Japanese language proficiency for non-native speakers.The JLPT was expanded to five levels in 2010, with passing Level N5 denoting simple language abilities, and Level N1 denoting advanced language abilities...
has been offered in Kazakhstan since 2003, solely in the former capital of Almaty
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
. The number of examinees fell every year for the first two years after the test's introduction, but in 2006, their count more than doubled; the number of people taking the introductory 4th-level examination nearly quadrupled. However, JETRO
JETRO
is an independent government agency established by Japan Export Trade Research Organization as a nonprofit corporation in Osaka in February 1951, and reorganized as the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1958 to consolidate Japan's efforts in export promotion...
's Business Japanese Test was not offered in Kazakhstan or any other former Soviet Union
Post-Soviet states
The post-Soviet states, also commonly known as the Former Soviet Union or former Soviet republics, are the 15 independent states that split off from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in its dissolution in December 1991...
member state .