NIPPON


 

The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education on Sunday held its first English speaking test that forms part of the entrance examinations of metropolitan high schools.

About 69,000 applicants, mainly students of public junior high schools in the Japanese capital, took the test, introduced in hopes of developing globally competitive human resources.

At the Hibiya high school, one of the 197 test sites, junior high school third-year students with nervous looks on their faces were seen entering the school building.

In the 15-minute test, examinees spoke into a microphone on earphones to answer questions displayed on a tablet device.

The number of applicants reached 76,000 for students of public junior high schools alone, but many of them were absent or arrived late. The education board plans to hold a makeup test Dec. 18.