Goodbye JET?

It is with rather mixed emotions that I discover the future of the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Programme is in doubt. I, and tens of thousands of foreign teachers have been placed in the most obscure of places around Japan in the name of internationalisation and English education. The majority of these teachers will look upon their time on the JET Programme fondly and regard this time as one of privilege. As many of the readers of this blog will know, we had a great life in Shimogo, one which we will never forget.

However, I always suspected the JET Programme was an anachronistic throwback to the bubble years in Japan, a gold plated project in need of a reality check. It now seems that the Japanese Government agree. My hope is that the JET Programme will survive but in a much scaled back version. I think that even if the budget for this programme were halved, the impact on internationalisation and English education need not be that great. From my experience in rural Japan, the number of JET teachers could easily have been halved whilst still managing to fulfill the teaching commitments in all the schools of the local area. A hefty cut in funding does not need to be a bad thing, but could be the perfect opportunity to remove waste and increase effectiveness at grass roots level.

Long live the JET Programme, albeit in a smaller and more agile form to suit the times. An interesting discussion on the merits of JET can be found here.