[Question]Our child has recently arrived to Japan after finishing junior high school in his country. He can barely speak Japanese. Can he enter a public high school? Does he have to take the same entrance examination as other applicants?

[Answer]

A) If he cannot speak Japanese at all, he may as well attend a Japanese language school first to acquire some level of Japanese language proficiency. A set of procedures is required to enter a public high school. To take a general course, although he still needs to take the same test as Japanese applicants, Osaka Prefectural High Schools give special considerations to returnee students from China, foreign students and Japanese returnee students from abroad, who meet certain conditions. In the case of a student who returned to/ entered Japan and was transferred to a primary or middle school, the following special considerations are given:
1) extension of examination time
2) non-English dictionaries may be used during the examination
3)”furigana” phonetic symbols written alongside the Chinese characters on academic aptitude test.

For special courses, such as “Integrated Course,” “General Integrated Elective Course” and ” Multi-Classes Credit System (1st and 2nd sessions),” applicants are limited to those who have lived abroad for more than 2 years and have been living in Japan for less the 2 years prior to the exam. These applicants can write an essay or a self-introduction report in languages other than Japanese. Prefectural vocational training schools follow the same criteria used for public high schools.

Private high schools, technical schools and miscellaneous schools may accord some sort of special measures to such students in accordance with request by the junior high school they are graduating from.  

For information on public school education, go to http://www.pref.osaka.jp/kyoisityoson/jidoshien/shugaku/
Multi-lingual student guidance is held several times a year for students with international backgrounds.

Since April 2010, tuition is free at public high schools while students enrolled in national or private high schools and other designated schools are provided tuition fee support to cover part /all of their tuition.

The Osaka Prefectural Government has set up the “Tuition Support Subsidy System” to ensure virtually free tuition for students studying at designated private high schools in Osaka, if the students are from families with an annual household income of less than 3.5 million yen.

[Question]Are there any public high schools in Osaka, which have special admission screening allotments for students from overseas?

[Answer]

There are five public high schools in Osaka prefecture which have special allotments for returnee students from China and foreign students, who have been admitted to the 4^th grade in primary school or higher in Japan. They are Kadoma-Namihaya High School in Kadoma City, Fuse-Kita High School in Higashi Osaka City, Seibi High School in Sakai City, Yao-Kita High School in Yao City, and Nagayoshi High School in Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka. They give tests only in Composition, Math, and English. The student’s native language can be used to write composition. Furigana phonetic symbols are provided alongside the Chinese characters on the test sheets.

[Question]Are there any high school/college scholarship programs available to students from overseas? How do you apply for one?

[Answer]

The Japan Student Services Organization offers scholarship programs for university, junior college and advanced technical college students in Japan. As for scholarships for students planning to enroll in high school and specialized technical college, the Osaka Prefectural Scholarship Association offers need-based scholarship programs. Alternatively, depending on the financial situations and other special circumstances, Mother-child widow welfare loan, livelihood welfare fund, municipal scholarship programs, Ashinaga (for father-less children) scholarship, and Traffic Orphan Scholarship are available. These scholarships are provided as no-interest loans or low-interest loans and made available to students themselves and their guardians. The Japan Finance Corporation, a public corporation wholly owned by the Japanese government, offers education loans to those who cannot afford education-related expenses. There are some schools which have their own programs to their students to help cover the school entrance fee and tuition. Some programs set different eligibility requirements for foreign residents and most of them limit applicants to those who are permanent residents or long-term residents. Those staying in Japan with “student” or “trainee” statuses are usually disqualified to apply.