The education ministry has made public the results of nationwide scholastic tests conducted for sixth graders and third-year middle school students in April. Depending on the problems, the percentage of correct answers was eight to 16 points lower than in April 2007, when similar tests were held for the first time in 43 years.

The ministry says the main purpose of the tests is to measure the scholastic ability of individual children and to help teachers improve their academic guidance. But the test results show only whether students gave correct answers or not; it doesn't show how they arrived at the answers.

How is it possible for teachers to utilize such tests to improve student guidance? Teachers learn the strong and weak points of individual students through daily class activities. As for scholastic tests, they are also carried out locally.

The only thing teachers can know from the results of the nationwide tests is how much their students' test scores deviate from the nationwide average, and from the average in other prefectures and local areas. If the scores are lower than these figures, parents and local officials will put pressure on teachers to do something to raise the scores. But if raising scores in the national tests becomes the purpose of education, the real goal of education will be distorted. Teachers and board of education officials will instead become preoccupied with working out and implementing plans to improve test scores.

Even the Liberal Democratic Party's panel for abolishing wasteful use of tax money calls for abolishing the nationwide tests, which cost about ¥5.8 billion this year. This money could be used in more meaningful ways to improve education.

The test results show that children from lower-income families tended to perform worst. This underscores a need for the government to strengthen support for these children to ensure that they are able to compete on a level playing field with their peers from wealthier families. Helping those who are at risk of being left behind will contribute to raising the general level of education.