Give schools bigger say in enrollment

Just like the exam-oriented education system, the majority of cram schools also aim to raise the scores of students. But when it comes to education that can facilitate students' healthy development, almost all of them are found wanting.

So it is not the overhauling of cram schools but the reform of the college entrance examination system that is key to ending students' over-reliance on after-school classes. Unless the excessive emphasis on exam scores ends, the demand for after-school classes will continue.

Rather than forcing students to conform to the existing academic evaluation system, the authorities should put in place a more scientific and professional examination system to meet the development needs of the students. Besides, as professional educational institutions, schools should be allowed to select students and evaluate their performance based on multiple standards instead of the aggregate score in a particular exam. A student with artistic skills need not be necessarily good at mathematic or physics. So why should such a student have to go through the whole grind to find her or his true calling?

But in spite of the imperfect examination and enrollment system, cram schools are unnecessary. In fact, their number has significantly declined in Japan after the reform of the college entrance examination system.

If multiple standards were used for college admission, schools could find new ways, without focusing exclusively on scores, to help develop students' interests in learning, which in turn would promote the healthy development of the students.