Preface to the Educational System

…Thus, it was drafted in a very short time and enacted with the conflicts within the government. The day before the promulgation of the school system, the Dajokan Proclamation (also called the Preface to the School System or the Order on the Promotion of Education) was issued, explaining its purpose, rejecting feudal education, setting the direct goal of individual advancement, controlling one's income and career, and presenting a modern educational philosophy that is equal for all four classes and also targets women. The plan was to divide the entire country into large, medium and small school districts that were different from the general administrative divisions, and to establish schools in each district (8 universities, 256 middle schools, 53,760 elementary schools). Elementary schools were to be enrolled at age 6 and would be four years in each of the upper and lower classes, while middle schools were to be enrolled at age 14 and would be three years in each of the upper and lower classes. The school system was to include universities, normal schools and vocational schools, and the content of education was to be modeled on Western education. …

*Some of the terminology mentioned in the "Preface to the Educational System" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…このように，きわめて短時日のうちに起草され，政府部内での対立を含んだままで制定されたのである。学制公布の前日にその趣旨を説明した太政官布告(学制序文，学事奨励に関する被仰出書ともいう)が発せられ，封建教学を否定し，個人の立身治産昌業を直接の目的とし，四民平等で女性をも対象とした近代的教育理念が示された。全国を一般行政区画とは異なる大，中，小の学区に区分し，各学区に学校を設立する計画(8大学，256中学校，5万3760小学校)であり，小学校は満6歳入学で上下2等各4年，中学校は14歳入学で上下2等各3年とし，これに大学･師範学校･専門学校を加えた学校体系を示し，その教育内容は欧米教育に範をとるものであった。…

※「学制序文」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報