TOKYO - A total of 54.6 percent of third-year junior high students in Japanese public schools had an English proficiency level equivalent to Eiken Grade 3 or higher that enables them to understand and speak about everyday topics, the education ministry said Thursday.
The figure rose 2.2 percentage points from the previous year, while 52.4 percent had proficiency equivalent to at least Eiken Grade Pre-2, up 0.8 point from last year.
Eiken Grade 3 corresponds to A1 and Pre-2 to A2 under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, or CEFR, an international standard that measures language proficiency on a six-level scale, with A1 representing the beginner level.
The results of the survey conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology also showed that among third-year junior high school students, those who reached a level equivalent to Eiken Grade 2 or higher rose 2.7 points to 23.9 percent from a year earlier.
The ministry linked the students' improvement to their interaction with assistant language teachers outside class. Known as ALTs, they are native-level speakers who are not the main instructors in class.
The Eiken Test in Practical English Proficiency is an exam in Japan that assesses examinees' skills on an eight-level scale, with Grade 1 being the highest.
Those who reach Eiken Grade Pre-2 can understand and use English well enough to handle general aspects of daily life, while those attaining Grade 3 can communicate on familiar everyday topics, such as likes and dislikes and basic personal and family information.
Under a basic plan for the promotion of education, the government has set a goal for over 60 percent of students to attain English proficiency equivalent to Grade 3 or above by fiscal 2027 upon completing junior high school, and Grade Pre-2 or higher by the end of senior high school.
By prefecture and major city, Saitama Prefecture had the highest percentage of third-year junior high students with Grade 3 or higher, with 88.9 percent, followed by Fukui Prefecture in central Japan at 84.6 percent and Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture with 71.6 percent.
As for third-year high school students meeting or exceeding Grade Pre-2, Tokyo recorded the highest rate at 62.4 percent.
But there were some municipalities in the country where the percentage of students who met the proficiency standards of Eiken was below 40 percent. A ministry official said the government hopes to share information on how other areas can raise the level of English proficiency.
