A miscellaneous school is a classification of schools under the education laws of Japan and South Korea.
Japan
Overview
''Kakushu gakkō'' (), sometimes translated as "miscellaneous vocational school", is a classification of schools in Japan, established by Article 134 of the . Types of schools classified as miscellaneous schools include
driving schools
Driver's education, also known as driver's ed, driving education, driver training, or driving lessons, is a formal class or program that prepares a new driver to obtain a learner's permit or driver's license. The formal class program may also p ...
,
vocational school
A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary education#List of tech ed skills, secondary or post-secondar ...
s, and some
international school
International schools are private schools that promote education in an international environment or framework. Although there is no uniform definition or criteria, international schools are usually characterised by a multinational student body an ...
s (such as the run by North Korea-aligned
Chongryon
The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, " ''
The Japan Times
''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo.
History
''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...
''. January 3, 2008. Retrieved on October 23, 2015. Their graduates may also face difficulties registering to take entrance examinations for high schools and universities. For example, the Osaka Chinese School warns parents of prospective students that, while the municipal government of
Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
allows OCS graduates who are Chinese citizens and people of Chinese descent to sit for public high school examinations, the government has refused the same permission to OCS graduates who are Japanese citizens not of Chinese descent.
As of May 1, 2007, there were 120 "miscellaneous schools" that were not aimed at Japanese children; they included 79 , five Chinese schools, four schools that serve Brazilian or
Peruvian
Peruvians (''/peruanas'') are the citizens of Peru. What is now Peru has been inhabited for several millennia by cultures such as the Caral before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Peruvian population decreased from an estimated 5–9 ...
students, and one school affiliated with South Korea, along with 31 other international schools.
Standards of recognition
Regulations setting out the standards for accreditation as a miscellaneous school were issued by the then-
Ministry of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
in 1956. Under those regulations, the power to accredit miscellaneous schools was assigned to the prefectural governors. The accreditation standards thus differ by prefecture. For example, as of 2011, the minimum threshold for total assets as a proportion of yearly operational expense ranged from one-sixth to two-thirds, and some prefectures demand that miscellaneous schools own lands and buildings as a condition of accreditation, while others have relaxed this standard and allow schools which rent their facilities on a long-term or even short-term basis.
Some international schools have been able to convert from "miscellaneous school" to so-called "Article 1 school" () status, making them ordinary recognised
private school
A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...
s under Japanese law. have been unable to obtain this kind of official recognition as private schools, a situation which their supporters have described as discriminatory.
South Korea
The classification of () is defined in regulations promulgated under the authority of Article 60, Paragraph 3 of the Primary and Middle Education Act, and Article 59, Paragraph 3 of the Higher Education Act. Article 12 of the regulations defines schools for foreigners following the curricula of a foreign country as one type of ''gakjong hakkyo''.