‘Diversification of Courses’ offered in Vocational Senior High Schools in the Late 1960s : Discussions on Its Policy and the Development of Diversification

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the process of formation and implementation of policy on ‘diversification of courses’ offered in vocational senior high schools in the late 1960s based on discourses of relevant parties, and to verify the development of diversification by using the newly-estimated figures. Dispute on ‘diversification of courses’ derives from requests to introduce technical training into senior high schools so that students are able to cope with the rising demand for skilled workers and the deterioration of their academic abilities. The Ministry of Education and the related Councils have also tried to accommodate educational needs of newly rising industries/occupations, in addition, to incorporate miscellaneous vocational schools into senior high-school education by means of ‘diversification of courses’. However, this policy was quickly withdrawn because the related parties provided little support. This meant that the above-mentioned issues had to be dealt with by allowing more flexibility into the curricula. A new estimation of the total number of different kinds of vocational courses offered before 1965 which were not formerly available shows that the rate of increase in number of kinds slowed down and decreased after the mid-1960s. This shows that ‘diversification of courses‘ did not develop in the late 1960s.